


How We Became One

by cherrytruck



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Ruby & Sapphire & Emerald | Pokemon Ruby Sapphire Emerald Versions
Genre: Financial Drama, HAHA WHAT'S WITH THESE TAGS, Implied nonbinary character, M/M, Other, Phone Sex, Sex Toys, Sexual Tension, Sushi, Trans Male Character, yes that last tag was important.
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-23
Updated: 2015-05-24
Packaged: 2018-03-31 21:10:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 25,147
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3992986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cherrytruck/pseuds/cherrytruck
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As two friends bond over their closeness and troubles, a new kind of dynamic takes their relationship to the next level. An erotic game ensues between them, but neither of them seem to open up to their feelings.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Crossing Paths

**Author's Note:**

  * For [oudeteron](https://archiveofourown.org/users/oudeteron/gifts).



> This HUGELONG fic was written in commemoration of a certain event. Thank you oudeteron for all your support over the years and introducing me into this fandom making me give all my money to Nintendo!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wallace bumps into an old friend, surprised to see how much they have changed.

It was another day gone by at Lilycove after finishing his contest training, and Wallace found himself struggling to think of what to do since his day finished early today. Lilycove had sort of become a second home to him since he was spending so much time there, though despite it being resident to Hoenn’s largest shopping centre, Wallace didn’t often shop there. He hardly had much to spare after investing so much in travelling and training all the way here, and he figured he would rather save up for things he felt were important for his potential career.

Still, every now and then he would treat himself to some kind of appetizers. Today he was at the coffee house, looking up at the chalkboard to see what drink he should freshen up with. Just as he set his mind on the iced tea, he felt a poke from behind him.

“Wallace?”

The sensation made him jump, and Wallace turned around. He felt like jumping yet again when he saw who was in front of him.

“Steven...is that you?”

It had been a few years since he had met the heir of Devon. While they kept in touch as good friends, Steven suddenly slipped away from contact, most likely due to the fact that he had been busy with his company, or perhaps Wallace simply wasn’t a memorable enough friend for him to go through the effort of constantly talking to. He wasn’t bitter about it, it was quite standard for many friends if anything. He simply didn’t expect Steven to be here of all places, however.

“It’s been a long time, Wallace,” Steven smiled. He looked quite different from when they had last met. He had grown into quite the handsome man, not exactly catching up to Wallace in terms of height, but the way he spoke and his overall demeanor had definitely matured.

“It certainly has been,” Wallace responded, trying to match Steven’s professional tone, though it did feel like a bit of an awkward way to greet an old friend. He did want to give Steven a hug, but considering the suit and everything else about Steven’s face that appeared like he meant business, he wasn’t sure if that was warranted.

Steven let out a small laugh. “You seem so nervous to greet an old friend. Maybe it’s the change in my appearance that has thrown you off?”

“N-no, it’s not that. It’s just…”

“I know, I haven’t spoken to you in a while and this must be quite unexpected for you. Come on, how about a good old hug?”

 _Thought you’d never ask._ Wallace was all too happy to comply.

~

They sat themselves at a cozy corner of the coffee house at a window view, where they could have a good view of the ocean and skies extending outside of Lilycove. It was a lucky day for Wallace - just when he had felt reluctant to buy himself a treat for once, Steven was there to pay for it.

“I’m sorry we lost touch. Things got real complicated, and it wasn’t just you I stopped talking to, it was kind of everyone...even my own father.” Steven had gotten himself a warm mug of Chai Latte, and he used the small wooden stick to scoop up the foam on top and consume it. “So um...I hope you’re not mad at me.”

“Of course not, I understand it’s not easy to keep in touch with everyone. Do you mind if I ask what happened though? I’ll listen to you, whatever it is you have to say.” Wallace did find himself to be a little nosy of some gossip regarding Steven, but quite a big part did want to comfort him.

“Yeah. Well...basically I kind of went through a dark period in my life and I ended up having depression for awhile. I had to temporarily quit all my work at Devon, basically. I stopped speaking to a lot of people, thinking I probably wasn’t worth their time.” His eyes shifted towards the window, staring into the skies with an empty look. After a brief pause though, he turned his attention back to Wallace and chuckled. “But anyway, I’ve got quite a lot of catching up to do now, haven’t I?”

 _Steven Stone, depressed?_ He couldn’t imagine what could have possibly driven the son of a multi-million corporation to end up in such a state, but he realized he shouldn’t have made assumptions and he wasn’t going to press it any further.

“I’m so sorry to hear, Steven. I had no idea…”

“It’s all right, it’s long in the past and I’m back on my feet again.” Steven smiled again, an expression that Wallace couldn’t help but also smile in response towards. The suited man placed his hands on his cup of tea and moved it closer towards Wallace’s side of the table. “You want to try some? You’ve been looking at it like you’re curious to try it out.”

“Oh, is that ok? Thanks…” Wallace wasn’t one to often drink hot tea but that Chai Latte sure looked irresistible. “Anyway, I’m glad things are better for you. Say, how should I keep in touch with you these days? If you don’t mind, of course…”

“Of course I don’t mind. Well, I sort of got a new Pokenav number which is probably why you haven’t been able to contact me. Here.” They exchanged their numbers - their more recent ones, that is - while Wallace continued scooping up the rest of Steven’s tea all to himself.

~

“So what do you do these days, Wallace?” They’d often talk either through voice calls or messaging each other with texts, since Steven was actually based in Rustboro, quite far from Wallace’s hometown as well as his working place at Lilycove, so for now, this had to make do.

Wallace sat snug on his desk, finishing a few pieces of fruit while he held the Pokenav device on his ear. “I’ve got some temporary work at the gym in Sootopolis thanks to Master Juan. I’m planning on being a Beauty contest star with Milotic! We’ve got quite a bit to go through though. How about you?”

“Oh, pretty boring business stuff, I’m sure you don’t want to hear.” He heard a faint laugh from Steven. “But I have also been training with my Beldum. I like to go into caves and look for rare stones. I’ve got quite the collection in my office, if you want to see sometime.”

The topic of stones wasn’t something that interested Wallace, but he wanted to try and sound somewhat interested in Steven's life. “Rare stones huh? Do you mean the types that look really pretty and sparkly like you’d find in jewellery stores?”

“Exactly. When I mention stones people often think of a plain pebble or rock on the common ground, but never do they consider that some stones manage to look so beautiful, with exquisite chemical arrangements that cause the light to shift and bend within it, creating these shining projections into your very eye.” Wallace didn’t get any of what Steven had just said, but he nodded and hummed - not that Steven could even see him do that anyway. “Of course,” Steven continued, “not all stones will look like coloured glass and diamonds, but even they have their own unique properties that can tell you a whole story. For instance, you can tell where a rock originally comes from by looking at its layers, each of which has its own pattern of solidification, all containing different elements. You may find that one stone is particularly rich in calcium, while another stone that looks similar to the common eye is in fact made of inorganic ores like copper and steel. Knowing what’s inside these stones can tell you quite a lot about where they originate from.”

“That’s...nice,” Wallace responded, quite frankly more interested in Steven’s voice and company rather than whatever science he was going on about his rocks.

“Oh, I’m so sorry! I ranted on quite a bit. I don’t really get people listening to me with such understanding, so thank you, Wallace. I seriously appreciate it.”

“That’s all right, it’s fine to talk about your passions!” The only thing is that he wished Steven asked _him_ about his life’s passions - though technically he had already done so, only Wallace gave him quite a short answer. Still, if Steven was giving him all this talk about rocks like this then surely it meant he trusted Wallace not to call him an idiot for it - and so he refrained from doing so.

“But say, you said you do Beauty contests...I’m not one for contests myself really, but it seems quite intense, and something that requires skill. I assume you must be pretty good though. What made you want to go into it?”

So Steven was interested, after all. “Hm...why did I go into it? Well, I suppose I just enjoy entertaining the crowd with things they’ve never seen before. It’s fun and it feels quite accomplishing when you do get things right. I guess I do like the attention.”

“Any reason you chose the Beauty category in particular?”

“You only need to take one look at me to realize why,” Wallace joked.

“Ha, that’s quite a good point…” Steven replied in good spirits, but then there was a bit of an awkward pause before he coughed. “So, when will your next show be? I’d like to watch you sometime.”

“Y-you would? I didn’t realize you were into that stuff.” He was a bit surprised by how this conversation ended up at. Little did he know he’d have another audience member adding the pressure onto him.

“Well, it’s good to catch up with old friends, is it not? I feel like I should get to know you better, and wouldn’t you agree this is a nice way to catch up?”

“Hmm...well, all right! I’ll see when my next contest date is and I’ll let you know!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The reason there's an "other" in the relationships involved is to acknowledge a nonbinary dynamic on Wallace's side which is implied in this fic. Also I know nothing about the science of stones so like please do correct me if I've made Steven say something wrong.


	2. An Unforgettable Show

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wallace has a go at a contest, wanting to impress not only the audience, but also Steven.

“Thank you so much for coming all the way over here - you really didn’t have to, if it was so much trouble.”

“It wasn’t any trouble at all!” Steven reassured Wallace, patting his shoulders. “I wanted to come. Besides, I need a break from all this work stuff, and I can’t be in caves with the Zubats all the time. This will be very interesting, and I’m looking forward to your performance, Wallace.”

After weeks of training, it was Wallace’s first time to perform in front of a proper audience in an entry-level Beauty contest. Everyone had been seated, and it was his turn on the stage to be judged. Both the fact that strangers, along with his friend Steven, were all focusing their attention on him made him nervous - every now and then he’d think, _shit, why did I want to do contests again?_

Still, deep inside he knew he had to play it cool. His Pokeball was held firmly in his hands, before he threw it up in the air and released his Luvdisc. A moderate applause was heard. Wallace kept his focus on his Pokemon though, trying to keep in sync with it, ignoring his surroundings as much as he could.

“Dazzle the audience with Surf,” he commanded, and the room was filled with a wave of water, some trickles even reaching the audience who responded with gasps. He then followed up with what he believed was a spectacular use of Bubble Beam and finished with Rain Dance.

The audience seemed pleased, and Wallace found himself scanning the room for Steven. He was giving him a standing ovation, something that made Wallace blush a little. Surely if someone who was more interested in digging caves found this to be so entertaining, he must have put up a good show.

For the rest of the contest, other trainers showcased their Pokemon, some younger, others more experienced - one contestant had Wallace feeling a little nervous however, as their Ninetales was a real crowd-stealer, and everyone seemed to have fallen for it even before it had even began showcasing its moves. The trainer clearly had many more years of experience than himself.

It was time to announce the winner of the contest. Wallace looked up at the screen in nervous anticipation, as the votes and judge’s scores tallied up on each contestant. Wallace was doing pretty well, and he landed himself on a decent score. Unfortunately, it wasn’t good enough - another contestant had overshadowed him and was the winner to proceed to the next round.

Wallace should have seen it coming really, after all, he knew he was no match against Ninetales. He clung onto his Pokeball which contained his Luvdisc. “Nevermind, Elizabeth. You did great out there.”

When Wallace finished packing up at the changing room and emerged out of the contest hall, Steven was there, waiting for him. He could tell that Steven tried to look pleased but there was a clear sign of pity on his face.

“Wallace, I thought you were amazing. I definitely see why you got yourself into this business. You have a lot of talent!”

“Steven, it’s all right…” It was a little overwhelming to be receiving all this praise despite him not achieving much. “I know I’m not the best yet. But thanks for your words...it means a lot.”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself, Wallace. Nobody’s the best at what they do to start off with. But I mean it, you gave us all a very good show and this is an experience I’ll never forget.”

“Was it that good?” Wallace felt his mouth wrinkling in a smile, against his will.

“It was. Like staring into a giant gem of stones.”

“Oh, you sure know how to compliment people.” Wallace felt himself blushing again. “Thank you so much for coming.”

“Thank you for the show, Wallace. Now then, how about we go have some drinks?”

“That would be lovely, Steven.” Wallace did start to feel thirsty after he mentioned drinks - perhaps it was time for more ice tea.

~

“I’m actually not really into regular tea,” Wallace laughed, talking into his Pokenav while still in bed on a lazy Saturday. “But I love cold and fruity tea, I have to admit.”

“I still can’t believe you said you’re not into tea. But I suppose I should have realized you had a favourite considering you keep getting the same ice tea drink from that place. Actually, I’m having some warm tea right now, it’s quite lovely and soothing…”

“Oh, like I’m interested to know what you are drinking.” Wallace turned himself around on his bed, looking towards the window. “So what’s next, you’ll give me a science lesson on your stones again?” They had started talking more frequently and become closer friends to be able to tease each other like this - though it was mostly Wallace who was the one playfully bullying Steven.

“I could. You see, sedimentary rock is formed by this process…”

“No! No! I wasn’t serious!” They both burst into laughter. It was quite refreshing to begin his mornings like this. Not that he wanted to be patronizing towards Steven for his previous condition, but he was quite glad that Steven had recovered to be able to enjoy himself like this again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh no wallace lost the contest how sad ;(


	3. Steven's Office

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Visiting the office at Devon makes Wallace more curious about his friend.

He promised he would come and visit Steven’s office to check out his collection of stones, even if it would take a while to travel to Rustboro. Still, it was good to travel and broaden his horizons beyond the small areas of the ocean. And he was quite curious to see what it would be like as a guest in Devon Corporation. Wallace dressed himself up quite smart, hoping to be worthy of stepping foot into such an office.

When he had arrived, Steven was already waiting for him down at the reception area. His whole expression lit up when Wallace greeted him.

“I’m so glad you made it! I thought you might bail out after being worried you’d be lectured on nothing but examining stones.”

“I’m still considering it,” Wallace said to poke fun at Steven. “But this place looks amazing! I can’t wait to see your office.”

“I can’t wait to show you.” Steven guided Wallace into the glass lift, pressing the button to his floor. While they ascended, Wallace couldn’t help but look at Steven, who looked so suave in this environment of - to put it in an odd way - modern capitalism. The background scenery of the buildings below them only added to the fact that Wallace realized, Steven would one day own an entire corporation that practically controlled Hoenn.

They then walked towards Steven’s office, to which Steven held the door open for Wallace. “After you.”

“Thank you.” Wallace walked in and was amazed by the large office space he had, and then noticed the walls full of collections of shining stones all around. The place was so sleek, so modern, so elegant. Wallace swore he could have even lived here if Steven let him. “This is so cool! Wow! I love it!”

“I’m so glad you do.” As Wallace took off his coat, Steven gently held onto it in his own hands and assisted Wallace, as if he were some kind of butler, and then placed it on the coathanger neatly. “Please, make yourself comfortable.”

Wallace felt like royalty just being able to touch any of the furniture in Steven’s office. He sat himself down on a soft looking chair opposite of Steven’s desk. Steven followed suite and sat on his own chair, so that now they were facing each other with a grand desk between them.

“You look a bit tense. It’s only my office, you know.”

Wallace couldn’t help but giggle. “You know I’m not used to places like this. It’s just so...nice. I feel really VIP!”

“Well, this is a typical day for me. Although I don’t get friends visiting me during work, so I guess you are making this equally special for me.”

“Why would I make this special?” Wallace looked down with a shy smile. “Surely every friend you bring to your office must react the same way as I do.”

“Well...I don’t really have many other friends.” Steven started fiddling on his steel rings - something Wallace only noticed he had begun wearing recently - looking a little lost in thought. “Sure, being the rich kid of Devon, there are people who try to stick themselves towards me, but I know they’re not really interested in me as a person. I suppose I don’t blame them, but it’s a nice change to have people like you around my circle.”

There was silence. Wallace wasn’t sure how to respond to that, but he knew he was deeply flattered. He smiled and shook his head. “Oh, Steven, it’s not much. I mean...it’s too bad everyone else is only in it for the company name and money rather than you. I mean, you are such a nice friend too.”

“You think so?” Steven wiped his eye. “I’m so glad you think so.”

Just then, a knock on the door was heard. Steven waved his arm. “Come in!”

A waiter with a tray entered the room. “For Mister Steven Stone and guests, I have brought you drinks and biscuits. Please enjoy yourselves.”

“Whoa! You even have room service!” Wallace looked intensely into the luxurious looking snacks and drinks, with empty glasses that looked so grand, he even felt tempted to take one home to show Juan. He looked at the waiter in appreciation. “Thank you!”

When the waiter left the room, Steven grabbed a glass and gave it to Wallace. “What drink would you like?”

“Hmm...oh, some fresh water would be nice.” Wallace watched as Steven picked up the bottle of water and poured it into the glass. “U-um...this service is free, right?”

Steven laughed. “Of course it is. Why would I make a guest pay for this?”

“Just making sure,” Wallace laughed back, before taking a sip of the pure and yet rich-tasting water.

~

After browsing through Steven’s stone collections and working as a temporary secretary for Steven, who wasn’t exactly intent on being productive while Wallace was around, Wallace finished the drinks and snacks that lay on the desk. It was getting a little darker now, and Steven had gone off to get some papers briefly, leaving Wallace alone in the room for a while.

Still curious to look around, he checked the photos on Steven’s desk, showcasing a younger looking Mr Stone and Steven back when he was a child with longer hair. Next to it was a book with the words written, “Steven’s Open Diary”. He figured it if said open and was laying on the desk right there, it wouldn’t be invasive to have a peek.

Most of the pages were filled with observations about stones, diagrams of them, all the science that Wallace wasn’t quite so interested in, but every now and then there would be a few words about Steven’s life. Small things such as little poems, summaries of his month, quite elegantly worded passages. He never knew Steven had such a way with words.

Initially the pages from early on dated with messages such as _“Dear diary, today life is good and I’m digging for more stones,”_ never going too personal, but he noticed that around a certain time, there were large gaps in his entries and they were not as lighthearted.

_“Dear diary, I don’t feel good today. I should probably go drink some water.”_

_“Dear diary, I wish I could remember how it feels to glimmer like a shining stone.”_

_“Dear diary, it’s still lonely, I know there are people out there but it still feels lonely.”_

_“Dear diary, it might be a while before I start writing again. Feeling quite ill!”_

Only after flicking through several blank pages nervously, Wallace came across a more detailed entry that broke the cycle of the negative tone it kept persisting on. _“Dear diary, I’m feeling much better and I’m ready to face life again. I’ve got my stones and steel ready. Nothing can stop me now!”_

Before he could read on, Steven entered the room. While reading his diary wasn’t something he was doing secretly, he still felt like it was digging too deep into his space, and he closed the book and looked behind nervously. “Oh, you’re back!”

“It’s all right, Wallace. It is an open diary, after all.” Steven calmly approached Wallace with a cup of warm coffee in his hands. “I want people to read it and get to know who I am inside. I like it when people take the time to get to know me.”

Wallace felt relieved - but he still needed something positive to mention. “You draw some nice stones.”

“I thought you’d be fed up with stones after a whole day here at my office...but I’m glad you are still interested, because I have something for you.” Steven put down his coffee on the desk and then handed over a box from his pocket to Wallace. “Go on, open it.”

“Oh!” Wallace traced his fingers around the smooth box before opening it, revealing a large shining blue stone, attached onto a thin chain of silver with crystals. Upon closer inspection, he realized it wasn’t just a fancy looking stone - it was a necklace.

“Well...how is it?” Steven asked in a curious tone.

“It’s so beautiful, Steven! This is amazing! You didn’t have to do this for me,” said Wallace, even though he had already taken out the necklace to put around his neck. It was heavy, but it was such a gorgeous design by nature, and to add to all that, he knew there would be no other necklace like this in the world. “Thank you so much...I’m sorry I am making you part ways with what must be a really rare stone.”

“Oh, but I am not parting ways with it, am I? I’m sure we will meet more often. And besides, I figure it would be better to let people appreciate the beauty of the stone on you rather than having it sit in some dark cabinet. Anyway, I think it suits you better than it does with me.” Steven chuckled and guided Wallace towards one of the large mirrors in the room so that Wallace could take a look. Steven looked into the mirror as well. “Absolutely lovely.”

“Steven…” Wallace saw himself blushing in the reflection. “I’ll wear this the next time I enter a contest! I’ll be able to win with this for sure!”

“It would go along with your spectacular displays, Wallace. But when you win it’ll be down to your hard work and not simply because of this stone.”

“Stop it, you’re making me blush.” Wallace giggled and saw in the reflection that Steven joined him in their silly laughing fit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wallace snooped into a paper version of steven's lifejournal wow how rude wallace


	4. Queen of Games

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wallace decides to relax by playing board games with Steven.

It was another lazy Saturday morning, and immediately upon waking up, Wallace called Steven from his bed.

“Good morning, sunshine star. Happy Birthday to you!”

“Wallace...you’ve been saying that for three days in a row. Do you really want me to get old so fast?”

Wallace laughed at himself with amusement. “No, but from now on I declare that everyday is your birthday! And why must it be a bad thing? That means you get presents from me everyday!”

“That’s very considerate of you,” Steven replied. “But you really don’t have to, I already had quite a nice birthday.”

“I really really wish I was there to make it,” Wallace said with regret. Steven’s birthday was a couple of days ago, all the way at Rustboro, and Wallace really wanted to be there - and not just for the free drinks and having another day at a posh office, but he found himself too busy to be able to travel there on that particular day, and he felt terrible about it. “So! To make up for my absence, I am going to wish you happy birthday every day from now on!”

“Oh Wallace. Must you be so silly and call me everyday because you missed out one birthday?”

“Yes.” He laughed again.

~

When Wallace found a free timeslot in his schedule, he instantly decided it would be a good way to spend it by visiting Steven yet again. He could never get enough of being around in his office, being served fresh water and given premium snacks that he couldn’t even afford to buy for himself.

It was a weekend and Steven had no work to do, so the office was all theirs without having to worry about pretending to be productive. On this visit, Wallace noticed that Steven had a miniature glass chessboard on one of his shelves. Wallace proposed a match together, to which Steven said he wasn’t really an expert on such games.

“To be honest...my father bought it for me a while ago, and I sort of know the rules but I’m not a good player, and I just kind of left it here because it looked nice…”

“Is that what all you rich people do? I’ll let you know, I used to be quite good at chess...but it has sure been a long time since I last played.” Wallace set the chessboard up seeing as Steven didn’t even remember how they were supposed to be arranged. When they played, most of it was basically Steven forgetting which piece moved where, and Wallace having to tell him off whenever he made an illegal move. At some point he even forgot which one was King and Queen, then he made a remark on how he thought it was unfair that the Queen was considered a disposable piece and that if the King died then surely the Queen could simply take over, before Wallace had to stop him and say that it wasn’t him who invented the rules.

“I still don’t get it,” Steven said. “The King is a pretty useless piece for something that is treated as so important.”

“Yes, the King is a bit slow. Like you, Steven.” Wallace figured he may as well joke about it, because it was true - Steven had this habit of claiming he’d only take a few minutes to do a task, only to spend hours on it.

“Well played. What’s your favourite piece then?”

Wallace pointed to his Queen. “What else? The Queen is the one I can relate to the most. She is powerful, elegant, fast, one of a kind...yet according to the rules of this game, not as important as someone like you, King Steven.”

“You’re not less important than me. Why do you say that?”

Wallace laughed. “Because you’re in charge of Devon, and everyone living in Hoenn relies on your technology and products. So in a way you may as well be our King. I’m just here to look pretty and keep you entertained...and move faster than you.”

“Heh…” Steven fiddled with his own King piece. “If I were a monarch, I’d make the system a bit more equal for everyone since surely I’m not the only one Devon depends on. If I lost anyone...especially you, Wallace, I’d be one miserable King and might as well forfeit the game altogether.”

“Oh…” Wallace looked down. “That sure is a sad way to put it. I thought we were here to play a game and relax?”

“Yes, we were...sorry, Queen Wallace.”

Eventually Steven did get the hang of the game, but true to his word, he was a poor player. Even when Wallace considered his skills to have become quite sloppy after years of not practising, he was having no struggle taking all of Steven’s pieces one by one. Another white pawn down. “Oh dear, Steven. I keep eating up all your pieces.”

“Eating, huh? Are my pieces that tasty for you?”

“More like you make it so easy for me,” Wallace joked.

“Well,” Steven crossed his arms to think. “I suppose if I had to pick anyone to be eaten by it’d probably be you.”

That sounded ridiculous, coming from Steven - not that it was new for them to say randomly meaningless things like this to each other. “What on earth does that mean, Steven?”

“Nothing,” he smirked, and then made a move, taking one of Wallace’s Bishops. “Now I’ve eaten a piece from you too.”

“That’s not fair,” Wallace said, a little disappointed that he let his guard down, but not too bothered considering Steven had around 3 black pieces claimed while Wallace had practically almost emptied Steven’s chess army. Actually, the game wasn’t fair for Steven since he was clearly playing against someone more experienced than him, but oh well.

“I’m really sorry Wallace, maybe you’ll eat another piece of me to make it fair then?” Steven winked.

“I think I very much intend to do that.” Wallace thought of his next move, though it was a little difficult when he was so distracted and having fun talking to Steven like this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> steven you suck at chess


	5. Relax, Steven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven isn't in the best of moods, but that doesn't stop him from wanting to engage in certain activities.

Wallace had only just finished another day of training at the contest hall - he wasn’t even back home yet, but immediately he called Steven, the first time he had done this. Usually their calls had to wait until they were both home, but Wallace saw that Steven’s Pokenav status was available, and that instantly inclined him to call.

“Hey! I’m not home yet but I thought I’d say hi.”

“Hey Wallace. I’m glad you called but you’re probably going to regret it, I’m so pissed off and I think I need to stay in the cooler for a while.”

“What?!” He didn’t expect Steven to answer like this of all things, and it was a little awkward having to talk like this without the privacy of his own home, but he figured he should hear Steven out. “What’s wrong? What happened?”

“You really want to hear about it while you make your way back home? Well...basically this douche who is proposing an investment from Devon is being difficult. My father put me in charge of this guy, so I’m trying to go with the deal as smoothly as possible, until I pointed out that he’s given me false information and that I’m not investing in his products unless he is going to be transparent with me. Then, despite him probably being twice my age, he started insulting me in the most immature way! He said some shit like kids these days don’t know how to handle money, that I’m probably some party guy who has cheated on more girlfriends than I can count on my hands, and said he wanted to talk to my father. I told him he’s wasting his time and he’s not getting a penny out of us. Arrgh!” Wallace felt the Pokenav vibrate as Steven let out his yell. “...sorry, Wallace. I’m just so mad that I wasted a day with this entitled asshole who thinks he can push me around. Why would he talk to me like that when I’m the one he’s trying to convince I hand my money over to? Well, whatever. Did you have a better day?”

After listening to Steven’s rant, he felt incredibly angry on Steven’s behalf of whomever this unpleasant person was, then he felt helpless that there was nothing he could do aside from keep on talking to Steven and probably tell him what others have already told him, then he felt mad at himself for not being able to be there in person. “I’m...sorry to hear, Steven. That person sounds like a downright piece of crap.”

“He certainly was. He even had the nerve to insult my stone collection! Who does he think he is? I hope he goes and fucks himself with his suitcase. I suppose the good news is that I get to keep my money. I think I’ll go spend it on some wine and buy myself a shirt with a huge middle finger on it so I can show him the next time he drags his ass over here. Good luck on that jerk on finding someone else to invest in his shitty product.”

It wasn’t often that Wallace had Steven talk to him in this kind of attitude - usually they were always smiling and laughing, it was in fact almost scary to be talking with Steven when he suddenly transformed and had such a bad temper. All Wallace wanted to do was have a friendly chat, and now he was droning on about this one guy who seemed so irrelevant to their life - though Wallace knew he did promise he’d listen.

“...um, Wallace? Are you there?”

 _Oh crap_ , was Wallace silent for that long? “Y-yeah, sorry, I am.”

“Sorry...we don’t need to keep talking about this, if you don’t want to.” He heard a loud sigh from Steven. “So..um…”

“Well, you don’t need to waste your time with this guy anymore, so when I get home why don’t we have a relaxing talk? We’ll talk about all the wonderful things about you and your company. I should get back home now so I’ll talk to you in about an hour when I'm home, ok?”

“All right...good idea. Thank you.”

He hung up, strangely relieved that he didn’t need to be listening to Steven ranting on about his bad day anymore.

He still felt bad about it though, since Steven did deserve someone to listen to him. Sure, it was a bit out of the blue for him to have a tantrum over the phone, but come to think of it, if Wallace had the same experience then he knew Steven would remain calm and listen throughout all of it until Wallace felt better.

It only occurred to him later that, perhaps, Steven only spoke like that towards Wallace because he trusted him enough to listen.

~

Their conversation continued on a much cooler tone after some time of talking about other things that were more interesting than jerks in workplaces. Wallace tried to get Steven to talk more about his stones - and that seemed to work, as Steven went back to being his perky self.

“Thanks again so much for listening, Wallace. I’m usually really reserved but sometimes all this stress gets a little too much. How do you suggest I relax, then?”

“Hm...you clearly are calmed by stones so maybe you should bring a bunch of stones with you to bed and sleep with them.” He was making a serious suggestion there.

“You think I don’t already do that?”

_Oh. Good point._

“...I’m just kidding! But you probably weren’t surprised by the idea. Hmm. What else do you suggest?”

“...gosh. Well, I find that playing with my Pokemon is quite relaxing too, though I suppose when it’s this late in the night they’d prefer to sleep.”

“That’s a nice suggestion. How about when you have sleepless nights? Do you ever get that?”

“Not really. Maybe you need to cut out on all the caffeine, since you always drink so damn much.”

“Nice try.” Steven laughed.

“Well, I suppose there is this one thing you could do but…” Wallace was about to suggest something, but then realized it was probably entirely inappropriate to bring up. “Oh, no. Forget it.”

“Hey, no! Tell me! I...seriously have this problem, and I’ll take any kind of advice you have to offer.”

“No, Steven, you’ll kill me for saying it. No way.” Wallace started to regret even thinking of this.

“Now you’ve made me even more curious. What’s this untold of secret to having a good night’s sleep?”

“Oh for goodness sake Steven, fine, I’ll tell you. But don’t judge me, okay?” Wallace took a deep breath, his heart pulsing faster. “You know, when you go to bed, you could like...um. Relax your body and...um. Touch yourself.”

“...ohhh,” Steven playfully replied. “Hey, why are you so shy about saying that? It’s quite a valid suggestion, something perhaps people are a little shy to talk about, but maybe it would really help out. Perhaps you’ve saved my sleep tonight.”

“Wait, what does that mean?!” Wallace couldn’t believe Steven was reacting to this so casually.

“Hmm...just that I might sleep well tonight, that’s all. So um...you don’t need to answer this, of course, but is that your secret on how you manage to sleep so well?”

“...maybe.” Wallace decided he might as well wind Steven up for making him say this.

“Just a maybe? That’s quite vague of you.”

Did Steven have to be so silly about this? Wallace let off an amused sigh. “Yeah well, you’re the one who started being vague, so I thought I should keep the same tone with you.”

“Touche. Oh well...you can simply tell me to be more precise about things, if you ever get curious.”

“Fine, be that way,” Wallace jokingly said. _Two can play at this game._

~

After yet another working day, Wallace would do his usual schedule after getting back home - use the bathroom, get changed, eat, talk to Steven, sleep.

It was still early for sleep though, and so Wallace continued to talk with Steven. This time though, it was his day to rant, though he was initially more subtle about it and only when Steven persisted on asking if everything was all right, Wallace gave in.

“I’m still not sure if this contest stuff is really for me. It’s so tiring and well...I don’t think people even like me? It’s just...this reporter came into the contest hall today and was interviewing certain contestants. I said I was willing to be interviewed but they just sort of skimmed over and said, right, cool. And then the trainer with the Ninetails came out and they instantly started kissing their ass. I mean, not literally. Though it may as well have been. I know that Ninetails is amazing but...it made me feel like I’m a nobody, you know?”

“Wallace, that’s so awful! They’re clearly missing out. Anyway, chances are you probably don’t want to be part of such tabloid trash if they can’t be bothered to include a diverse range of trainers. I’ll interview you any day if you want me to. Except...I suppose I do that every night now.”

“Ha! True.” Wallace appreciated the comfort, but decided he didn’t want to rant about himself and his deflated ego all night. “By the way, did you tell your father about that jerk that was being so horrible to you?”

“Oh yeah, of course I did. My dad sent him a rather nasty letter - even threatening to possibly call the lawyers on him, just to scare him off! We won’t really, but it’d be funny to think that he is losing sleep because of it.”

“That’s pretty harsh, but I suppose he deserved it. Speaking of sleep...um.” Wallace couldn’t believe he was about to bring this up again, but he might as well. “Are you relaxing better these days?”

“Oh yes. Heh heh…” Steven sounded mischievous all of a sudden. “I’ve definitely been relaxed these nights. Seriously, I’m so glad you gave me such a simple solution. Please don’t be shy about it. Although...if you’d rather we don’t talk about it…”

“Well...we can talk about it, if you want.” That was a polite translation for _actually, I am a bit curious on the gossip of your private life._

“You want to hear about it? Of course...I should feedback, after all. How much detail should I go into…?”

Was Steven really going to do this? He thought Steven was joking in response to Wallace’s ridiculous suggestion - maybe he was still joking, but surely...what if he was serious? Normally Wallace would find himself to be suddenly pull the plug in such a conversation, but for some reason, hearing Steven like this didn’t bother him at all. In fact, he was really curious - perhaps too curious.

“You can go into as much detail as you want,” Wallace said, barely gasping.

“I see. Well...I usually just lie there in bed, un-tensing my muscles...and I unbutton my shirt so I can start relaxing myself up there.”

“Oh my.” Wallace couldn’t believe Steven was doing this, though it seemed like he was perfectly comfortable with it.

“Yeah. I fiddle with my chest a little, then I take off my boxers…”

“Mmm...you only sleep in your shirt and underwear huh? It must get a bit cold.”

“It’s all right, I have some really thick duvets and the heating here is good.”

Wallace laughed. “Of course.”

“Anyway, what I then do helps me warm up, because I start slowly rubbing on my clit...should I keep going?”

Wallace gulped. He knew about Steven’s status, so it was no surprise, but he never really brought up the topic out of fear that he might say something to mess up and upset him. Still, if he was so openly discussing his experience like this, Wallace was only all too happy to engage. “Please do.”

“Wow, and I thought that might detail might scare you, but it seems you’re curious, hm? Well...I simply start rubbing faster, and then faster, getting so much warmer and messier, until it’s all too much and I reach my peak...then I feel so relaxed and sleepy, and then drift off into sweet dreams and wake up feeling refreshed for once.”

“Aww, that’s so cute.” Some way to respond to a session of too-much-information, though for Wallace, no information was really too much. “I’m so glad to hear you had such a good time, and that it helped you relax a little.”

“I um, hope you enjoyed my little story too. Heh…”

“Definitely. Thank you for sharing, Steven Stone.” Wallace then realized just how explicit their conversation became, and gasped. “Did we just practically have phonesex by talking about this?”

Steven had burst into laughter. “Oh my goodness. I suppose we did! Though it’s a bit one-sided, don’t you think? How about you? Do you have any stories you wish to share?”

“Oh. Ohh.” He didn’t think Steven would be so interested. “Well...sadly, I haven’t done anything interesting recently...but I do feel it would be fair to give you some kind of story in return...if that’s what you want.”

“Well, I don’t want to force you to do anything, Wallace.”

“You won’t be forcing me.” Wallace let out a shy smirk. “I might be keen on trying this uh...method...for myself too, actually.”

“Recommendation through a friend, eh?”

“You could call it that.” They both laughed, again - a sound that became quite usual in his home in the evenings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> from angry to horny holy rayquaza steven what is this boy's problem


	6. Love and Lack Thereof

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Winona hosts a party celebrating her crowning as a new gym leader, in which Wallace and friends are invited to. Wallace contemplates on his own directionless life, which results in strange dreams.

This evening Wallace and Steven arrived as invited guests for the grand re-opening of the Fortree Gym, celebrating Wallace’s longtime friend becoming the new gym leader. The gym was surrounded by many small birds walking and perching everywhere. Winona had become a master in the flying-type, and at such a young age too. She was a little younger than Wallace actually, and while Wallace was hugely proud of her achieving such a feat, especially at such a young age, a little part of him made him feel disappointed at himself for still not knowing where his life was going at, being surrounded by so many other bright people who were achieving far more than he was.

“My dear student!” A very familiar voice was heard from behind, and it made Wallace instantly smile.

Master Juan was dressed very over the top, although for his standards that was quite the average look for him. He had been running the gym back in Sootopolis for many years, perhaps even before Wallace was born, yet his face did not show any signs of wear and tear. It was all thanks to him that Wallace was able to make a decent living at the gym - or that he at least had someone in Hoenn to call a family.

“Master, I’m glad to see you made it here.” Wallace always mellowed down for Juan, partly as a way to keep him impressed but also out of respect. “It’s so nice to see my friend has become a gym leader. I’m very proud of her.”

“Oh, my dear Wallace! There’s no need to be so stiff around me at your friend’s party - loosen up and enjoy!” Juan was always like that, encouraging Wallace to be himself and embrace his eccentricity. “But I suppose no matter how many times I tell you that, you always want to reserve yourself for old man Juan...ha!”

Wallace laughed a bit, though he still held back, trying to cover his mouth.

“Come now dear Wallace, is there anything bothering you?”

Juan was also good at telling Wallace’s emotions. It was no good hiding it, since Juan would always somehow figure it out in the end. “Nothing’s wrong, I just feel like I’m a bit of an odd one out here. I mean all these guests are current gym leaders and from the league, and meanwhile I’m only here because I’m friends with Winona…”

Another voice came from behind. “And what about me?” It was Steven, who came along with a glass of wine in his hand.

“Oh! Juan, this is Steven - you might remember him a bit differently since we were kids but we started talking again recently.”

“Joseph’s son! My, the more you grow, the more you seem to have inherited your father’s looks and his money and success.” Juan shook Steven’s hand, and Steven only responded in such a professional way that Wallace envied in a way. “I am Juan, Wallace’s mentor, gym leader, and full-time fabulous!”

After exchanging a few words here and there, Juan returned his attention to Wallace. “My dear, don’t compare yourself with others - we’ve all got our own struggles and qualities that others may hugely envy. When I see all you young kids here, it fills me with much hope! Each of you is so unique, and I am glad to see your little friendship group is diverse. As for me...well, I shall leave you with your younger friends to go and mingle and all, while I go hang out in the old man corner!”

“Juan, you’re not that old.” Wallace shook his head. “But...thank you for your words, I promise I will enjoy myself here and not be stiff.” Wallace then looked over to Steven. “Right?”

Steven nodded. As Juan kept to his word and decided to go to his “old man” corner - which was surprisingly filled with quite a few people on the table already, Steven grabbed onto Wallace’s arm. “Wallace, I hope you don’t feel like you aren’t worthy of being here? I mean, remember, I’m not even friends with anyone here, I don’t know anybody, so…”

“But everyone knows you. You’re the face of Devon here. You’ve got millions...!”

A new voice came up from above. “Millions? Is it for me?”

Winona glided her way down towards the pair, having flown on her Altaria. She made a smooth landing, only brushing her arms slightly before composing herself. “Wallace! Nice to see you. Who’s this handsome guy you have here?”

Wallace giggled. “Steven, Winona. Winona, Steven.”

“Oh!! You’re THE Steven Stone!” Winona suddenly went from acting like the queen of the gym to becoming dazzled. “Wow! I can’t believe you are coming to visit ME! But...that’s probably only because Wallace dragged you here, huh?” She then whispered into Wallace’s ear, “How did you make friends with this guy?!”

Wallace couldn’t contain himself. “Winona, we were friends as kids. But we started talking again recently and well…”

“What can I say? I’ve changed quite a bit, so I don’t expect you to remember me,” Steven joked. Wallace did consider making the joke himself, though he didn’t feel it was his position to do so.

“Oh gosh, I’m so sorry if I don’t remember you!” Winona looked a little shaken but all the same, she also seemed very happy. “Thank you both so much for coming, it means so much to me. I hope one day you will both challenge me at the gym to try and earn a badge - but I promise you, I will not be easy! For now though...who’s up for some cake?!”

Excitedly, the trio went to go towards the table with all the cake. Winona cut several slices for them and they all ate the delicious cake, all trying to act reserved for one another - for Winona, probably because she was still nervous to be in front of Steven. For Steven, because that was clearly his mark of professionalism coming from a corporation like Devon, and as for Wallace - he wasn’t exactly sure why. He did promise Juan not to be so tensed up.

While eating their cake, Roxanne walked up to them, and strangely enough looked even more tense than the three of them combined. Perhaps it was relieving that at least Wallace could say now that he wasn’t the most rigid party pooper in Winona’s presence, but what was going on here that made everyone - aside from the old man corner - look so down?

“Ohh, cake. Just what I need. Thanks!” Roxanne helped herself and stuffed herself completely. “‘Sup?”

“Roxanne...are you feeling all right?” Winona questioned - the two of them knew each other moderately well, with Roxanne having recently become a gym leader herself. Wallace only somewhat knew her based on them both being mutual friends with Winona.

“This party is the only reason I am not completely mad!” Now Roxanne definitely looked quite upset. “My boyfriend has been ignoring all my messages for the past week! He knows I need to run the gym but he’s acting really jealous and accusing me of not spending enough time with him, even though I always give my time and I HAVE been trying to talk to him! Sometimes he accuses me of cheating even though I’ve done NOTHING to hint at that! And what’s wrong if I want to spend some time along with my rocks?! Guys, what do I do…?”

“He’s upset because you care about your career and hobbies? Doesn’t sound like a nice person,” Steven intervened. “I’m also a huge fan of rocks and if anyone came in the way of that, I wouldn’t waste my time on them.”

“Yeah,” Wallace joined in. “He sounds really insecure that you’ve become a successful icon. He should be supporting you, not doing this. I say you should dump him.”

Winona also jumped in. “I agree with them both! The fact that there’s no communication between you despite your efforts says it all. Roxanne, I told you, he’s really not all that! I don’t see what you see in him!”

“You guys think so? Arrgh! We’ve been together for two months...”

“Two months isn’t that much,” Wallace said. “I mean...Steven and I have known each other for longer than that!”

“I actually think you’ve spent two months too long…” Steven crossed his arms and then raised one hand towards his chin. “It’s not going to work out if you can’t do a basic thing that’s fundamental in a relationship, which is communication.”

“Come to think of it…” Wallace copied Steven’s gesture while he started thinking. “You’ve not spoken for one week. Two months has eight weeks. You’ve not spoken to him for...um...that’s 12.5% of your time in a relationship together! Think about it! Over 10% of your relationship and you have not been able to communicate!”

“Yeah! Roxanne, listen to these relationship experts!” Winona put her hands on Roxanne’s shoulders and gave her a very light shake. “I think you have no room to waste your time on this ungrateful bug if he’s going to be like this! I will agree with everything Wallace and Steven have said. D-U-M-P!”

Roxanne looked down. “Hm...you know, you guys are right. I just needed someone to encourage me to finally get this done and over with...all right. I’m going to do it! I’m leaving him tomorrow!”

The group cheered in response. Winona offered another cake slice to Roxanne as part of their victory. She thanked them and decided to spend the time to talk to others. Winona decided to follow, but before she did that, she exchanged a few more words with Wallace.

“You guys were great! You really helped her see the light! Thank you so much, I never liked that guy but it was so hard convincing her!”

“I’m so glad we could help!” Wallace breathed a sigh of relief. “We hate to see our friends in a state like this, and we’ve had our fair share of bad experiences.”

“Love is complicated, isn’t it?” Winona raised an arm to let a Swablu land on her, and then she lowered her arm and pet its cotton wings. “I don’t think I like to involve myself in that kind of stuff... But what I know is I’ll always have Pokemon. For now, that is the only love I need.”

“I agree.” Wallace’s tone became more serious. “I think we sometimes get influenced by short flashes of exciting moments but don’t let ourselves see the full picture until much later on. It’s not really love when that happens, is it? It’s like stepping into a cave without repels and hoping you don’t bump into a Zubat. I think it’s all a little overrated.” It was truly his opinion - he often didn’t see relationships work out, and seeing his own family break apart for those reasons played a huge part in that.

Steven appeared disappointed, for some reason. “Do you think so? I think it’s all right to stay true to your emotions. I think saying that liking people is the same as crashing into Zubats is a little brutal.”

“I see!” Winona let out a smirk, one that looked a little suspicious. “I think you two should have no problem talking this out! You are experts after all! I’m sure the two of you will make it work! Good luck!” Winona then ran off, with all her previous nervousness clearly gone with that comment she just made.

“What did she mean by that?” Steven scratched his head, clueless as ever.

“I’m not sure…heh,” Wallace pretended, although he did wonder if he really understood Winona properly or not. Meanwhile, he looked over at the “old man” table and noticed that Master Juan along with his other friends were already getting quite tipsy, as Juan let out a huge roar of laughter over whatever it was that they were talking about.

~

By now, Wallace had learned how to keep the Pokenav in between his ear and shoulder while doing other tasks such as cooking instant soup for himself or going into the loo. It had become custom to talk with Steven, wherever he was in the house.

“You’re going to find it weird,” Steven proceeded to say, “but I’m still a bit upset to hear you’re such a love cynic. I mean...you’re not aromantic, are you?”

“No, I’m not. I think I’m just sensible about life. It’s just how I see things. I take it you’ve probably had better experiences in the past which is why you are far more optimistic about it.”

There was a brief silence. “Not really. It’s just... well, do you really think people only feel because of what their biology dictates? I’d beg to differ.”

“Like I said Steven, that’s just the way it is.” Wallace flushed the toilet and then washed his hands, not caring so much that Steven could hear the background noise. “I suppose it didn’t help that I’ve seen very little success in relationships. There are always stories like Roxanne’s where you wonder why they are even together to begin with. And as for some people, well, it simply doesn’t last, does it?”

“Well, yes, that’s going to happen one way or another, and I don’t think experiences should be invalidated just because they don’t last 80 years or so. Shouldn’t it just be about people having a good time?”

Wallace honestly wasn’t sure where Steven was going with this. “I know that! It’s obviously their choice but I’m just saying, I’d be really cautious with myself since I never want to be involved in an experience like that. It’s not something I ever want to be part of my life ever again.”

“Again? You mind if I ask what you mean by that?”

Wallace sighed deeply, as he threw himself into bed. “Well...it is a bit of a touchy subject. You promise you'll keep it to yourself?"

"I promise."

"All right." It felt strange opening up to Steven, but he did trust him, and decided he needed the venting space after all. "Well, basically...I don’t want someone to do the same thing they did to mum and Master Juan to me as well.”

“Oh...I see. I won’t ask, but…”

“It’s fine. They got involved in some pretty messy situations and I suppose it’s haunted me for quite a while. I...kind of blame myself, really.”

Steven gasped from the other end. “Why?! Whatever it is, I’m sure it wasn’t your fault.”

“I suppose no, it’s not my fault for the actions of others. But I still feel like maybe if I never existed...they could have gotten themselves into a better place. Maybe they would have found something else better to do without me dragging them around. They could have done what they really wanted if it weren’t for the fact that I was there needing to be looked after. They keep insisting they don’t regret their choices but I still wonder.”

“Wallace, don’t say such a thing. I won’t ask exactly what happened but I believe your mother and Juan when they say they don’t regret raising you. And Wallace, I’m really glad you exist! You’ve been such a great friend for me and I don’t know where I’d be if you weren’t here.”

“Probably doing some actual work or digging for more rocks and stones instead of spending the night talking to me, that’s what.” Wallace almost felt like hanging up - why did he have to bring this subject up in the first place? It was his fault really, for getting Steven so curious.

“No, Wallace. I like talking to you like this. It’s fun. I don’t feel lonely when I hear your voice. It’s...nice. Please, believe me when I say, you are beautiful and precious, and the world is very lucky to have you around.”

That made Wallace smile, and tear up just a slight bit. He tried not to let his voice show. “Thank you.”

“I care for you. You may not see it that way but many others care for you too. I know how it feels to be in a dark place and feel everything is hopeless, but I don’t want you to ever feel the same way. I’m always here for you if you need something. You are very much loved by everyone, Wallace.”

Steven then made some smooching sounds - that was enough to make Wallace laugh.

“Steven...you’re so sweet. You always know how to make me feel better.”

~

That night, when Wallace drifted to sleep, he had a dream that he managed to recall.

He dreamt that he was swimming by the lake, able to breathe freely under the deep blue water. It was beautiful, being surrounded by so many colourful fish, some he never recalled ever seeing before. As he surfaced, he saw a beautiful blue-haired man, looking at him, waiting for him in the grass.

No words were spoken. They took each other by the hand, and the other man jumped into the lake with Wallace. They both floated around together, still holding each other close. The other man touched Wallace’s cheek with his hand, which Wallace hummed at in response.

“You’re beautiful,” the other man said, with a hugely familiar voice.

“Ah…” Wallace felt himself become so warm that he no longer felt the water around them. They then closed the gap between their lips and kissed, before Wallace pulled them both into the water.

Somehow, by the logic of dreams, they were both able to breathe fine. Wallace was already naked, and the other man swam around him in circles, both of them laughing from the teasing. The blue-haired man then swam closer to Wallace, embracing him by the chest and kissing his chest.

It felt so good, to be floating so freely and having his body loved by this mysterious handsome stranger. The blue-haired man swam lower, and lower - until his lips touched a place that made Wallace moan.

Wallace looked down, and the man closed his eyes and opened his mouth, taking in Wallace’s length inside. The sight was so lewd, so almost very wrong - but oh gosh, it was so hot.

That was all he remembered, before he woke up in bed, feeling a slight shock in his legs. When he did come to, Wallace almost screamed, having gotten his pyjamas dirty and now having to wash them.

“Arrgh! Been a while since that last happened…” While he changed his clothes, he did continue to dwell on the dream, finding the whole underwater scenario and meeting a little bizarre - yet, he had to admit, that was a damn good experience, and he wouldn’t mind having more dreams like this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uh oh this chapter does not pass the Bechdel test but before you say I am done sexism, let me explain you a thing  
> I wanted to place Wallace into some kind of social relationship advice thing and honestly these characters were the only ones I could imagine Wallace would be friendly and close enough to dish out such advice  
> I think everybody always goes up to Winona for relationship advice since she's like the only one who knows how to put it  
> also hooray wet dream


	7. Dare To Please

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wallace and Steven get bored on a weekend, leading them to continue their sexual game with one another.

Luckily for him, it was a weekend and they had all day to waste more time - they being Wallace and Steven, of course. They’d play interactive games together, talk about life, the weather, world news - time passed by very quickly when they were in each others’ company.

By now, Steven pretty much knew Wallace’s day routine, like when he would usually wake up, make food, have his showers, and go to bed. Wallace had a rough idea of Steven’s schedule too, though it was mainly simply sitting at his room or office with a waiter bringing him food. Steven had this habit of taking a shower everyday even if he hadn’t gone into a cave on that day, and he always took really long, which annoyed Wallace at times. On the other hand, it was good to know he was always tidy.

When the skies turned dark however, their mood always seemed to change into discussing more close and intimate things, be it personal troubles or other things that only the two of them could get away with telling each other.

“I had a really strange but nice dream last night.” Wallace couldn’t believe he was bringing this up, but he really felt like he needed to tell someone, and it if it was going to be anyone, it was Steven.

“Oh? What happened in this dream?”

“I was being sucked off underwater. I suppose you could say it was a literal wet dream.” They both laughed at the horrible pun Wallace made, before realizing how sexual in nature this conversation really was.

“Sounds like you had quite a lot of fun.”

Wallace bit his lip. “I...um, the guy who was doing it kind of looked like you.”

“Ha! Really?” With anyone else, they’d be completely shocked and the conversation would have turned awkward, but for some reason, conversations like this between them passed off as completely normal. “Was I good?”

Now that Steven had said that, Wallace couldn’t get the image of Steven away from his dream. Actually, now he could only remember Steven’s face in his memory. There couldn’t have been anyone else. Wallace felt himself blush.

“You were really good.”

“I see...hm. You know, ironically I’ve never given anyone a blow job before.”

As much as they were used to making sexual jokes with one another, hearing this kind of private stuff only made Wallace blush more. The way Steven just casually dropped these facts about him - and now the image of Steven with Wallace’s dick in his mouth was something he couldn’t get out of his head - pun unintended.

“You haven’t? I figured it was quite a popular activity among people.”

“I wasn’t very much of a fun lover, I have to admit. I suppose I have been a bit of a prude in the past. But you know, now that you mention it, I am very open to the idea of trying it. I mean, I know for sure it feels pretty good.”

Wallace wondered if Steven would ever hit the breaks with this information he kept giving, but a huge part - no, all of him, was so curious about this and wanted him to keep going. “You know how it feels?”

“Oh yes. I can’t describe it in words, but it feels pretty amazing. Probably similar to how it felt in your dream.”

“Interesting…” Right now, Wallace felt himself getting slightly hard, and he had to admit that this was going quite fast - but he didn’t want to stop. There was something exciting about this, talking to his friend in such a manner that he could trust him - and besides, Steven was quite a nice and good looking guy anyway. “Oh...wow.”

“Hm? What’s that?”

“Um...this conversation is kind of giving me tingly feelings.”

“Not just you. I’m getting tingly thinking about it too.” He could have sworn he heard a deep sigh coming out of Steven. “Isn’t this so much fun?”

“Yeah…” Wallace really wanted to do something about the fact that his pants were starting to feel tighter the more he talked about this. He was so tempted to touch it, but he was stopped when Steven continued to talk.

“Oh, I should have a shower before it gets too late. I hope you don’t mind. I’ll be back in a bit and we can continue talking if you like?”

Wallace saw the time and realized it was indeed Steven’s shower hour.

“All right, hope you enjoy yourself...if you plan on doing anything in there.”

Steven giggled. “What do you mean?”

“I think you know what I mean.” They were playing this game again, making vague innuendos at each other, even though they had just had an openly explicit conversation.

“Perhaps I do. But why don’t you spell it out for me, Wallace?”

“You always make me do this.” He should have been ashamed at himself, for coming up with these suggestions and actually telling Steven. “Maybe you can ‘relax’ in the shower.”

“Mmm...I might just do that, actually. Maybe it’ll do something about this tingly feeling...if you know what I mean.”

“Perhaps I do, Steven, but I should make you spell it out anyway.”

“Ah...fine, I’m going to do something about the fact that I’m getting really wet. How about that?”

 _Fuck._ That image was so hot. “And...what will you do?”

“I’m open to suggestions.” And now to make him even hornier, Steven just had to let Wallace dictate what he should do to his body.

“A-are you sure? Well...actually, are you able to move your showerhead?”

“Oh yes, it’s detachable. Why?”

“I have this idea. While the shower is turned on you could...put it against your crotch and get a unique kind of stimulation. It’s um...something I’ve tried before, and it feels really good.”

“Ohh my.” Steven’s voice felt shaky, and it may as well have been a direct whisper into Wallace’s ears. “Yes, that’s good...I’ll definitely try this tip of yours then. Would you like me to uh, report back on results?”

“Please do.” Now Wallace was so horny, there was no way he could ignore the arousal underneath him. “Hey, Steven...give me something to do too, so it’s fair between us.”

 _Why, Wallace?_ It’s not like he needed Steven’s approval to go do something, but the idea of opening himself up to let Steven give him suggestions was probably part of the whole reason why this was turning him on so damn much. He should have hung his head in shame for this, but Steven, being as smooth as ever, didn’t act judgemental for it.

“You want me to suggest something too? Well...to be fair I did say I wasn’t a very exciting lover so I’m not sure what kind of unique things I can suggest to you.”

True, it wasn’t like there was much Wallace could do aside from jerk off or find a random object in the house to put inside him, and he wasn’t willing to go that far.

“Oh, I know. How about you tease yourself everywhere and see how long you last before you need to touch your dick? And when you finally do, make sure it’s really wet and tight as if someone was giving you a blow job. Is that all right?”

“Ughh...you’ve got it.” It was going to be quite the frustrating challenge not to touch himself while he was so desperate, but he had to admit it was a clever idea, and something he probably would have to do considering Steven would take his sweet time in the shower. “All right, Steven. I’ll talk to you after we’ve...both relaxed.”

“Sounds like fun. I’ll call you when I’m done.”

~

Wallace took all his clothes off and lay down on his bed - usually he was never fully naked when he did this, and usually it’d be under the sheets or perhaps in the bath. Tonight however, he felt like being exposed, and while there was nobody there to watch him, there was something hot about the fact that the cold breeze would touch his skin all over, and that when he reported back his story, he could give Steven quite the explicit account.

He did as Steven told - no touching his dick for now, even if it was completely up there trying to reach the ceiling. He instead moved his slender fingers across his chest, one hand playing with his nipples while the other was twirled in his own hair. Often he wouldn’t do much foreplay when touching himself - this sure was a good suggestion from Steven.

Wallace wondered how Steven was doing in the shower. He hoped he was having as much fun as he was. Trying not to think too much of it, Wallace focussed back on his own body, hands moving down his thighs and squeezing them, opening his legs outwards as much as possible to maximize the exposure he had.

“Mmm…” His hips moved up and down, as if that was supposed to stimulate him somehow - it didn’t, but it still felt good to move his exposed body like this. He continued fondling his chest and his lips until he could no longer take it.

He remembered Steven told him to make sure it was really wet and tight. Seeing how there was nothing better, Wallace licked his hand and spat into it - usually he never did that, but if it was supposed to emulate a blow job, the materials may as well be authentic.

Wallace spread the clear fluid all around his erection, which added an extra layer of coldness to it. Shuddering, he then formed a tight grip around his length with his fingers and stroked slowly, trying to mimic a blow job the best way he could. It felt similar enough to the one from his dream, though definitely not as good.

He closed his eyes, trying to remember what it was like to be floating underwater, being inside that mysterious person’s mouth - he still could only picture Steven’s face, but it felt wrong to be imagining Steven this way…

“Aah!”

Yet, picturing him only made the experience feel all the more intimate. A tiny amount of fluid gushed out of his opening, and Wallace stroked faster, his fingers almost aching from holding on so tightly. He felt himself pulsating and sweating, and continued stroking, until he could no longer contain himself. He opened his eyes and directed his erection towards his face, letting the fluid spill all over his chest and abdomen, watching every moment of it.

He let himself catch a few breaths, chest rising with semen still all over it. Still feeling in the mood to be dirty, Wallace scooped up some of his orgasm and then licked his fingers to taste it.

~

A few minutes later, the Pokenav started ringing. Wallace was still lying on his bed naked. He instantly picked up.

“Hello there…”

“Hey hey. So...I just came out of the shower now.”

“You came huh?”

Steven laughed. “Oh yes, that too. So keen to hear already, huh?”

“Yeah...I’ve been waiting for this. I’m still naked in my bed, you know.”

“Ohh...you did it naked? That’s good...mmm.” Steven let out one of his deep, lustful sounding sighs, a sound that Wallace couldn’t resist. “I suppose I should go first then?”

“Please do.”

“Very well...I washed myself up as usual and then I started your shower hose idea. I put it straight in between my legs after spreading them out. You’re right, it felt so unique and amazing! I’ve...never felt anything like it before.”

Wallace hummed. “I’m glad to hear I’ve given you a new experience.”

“Me too. I also put fingers into my mouth since I was trying not to moan so loudly...then after being overwhelmed by the water so much, I decided to finish myself off by quickly rubbing my clit. By the time I was done, my vagina was completely dripping wet.”

“Ughh, that is so hot..." Wallace felt that the way Steven spoke when reciting these sexual events was simply exquisite - it was as if his voice turned into soft velvet for his ears. “So good...mmm…”

“Yeah...water sure is an amazing thing that I never appreciated enough before. I see why it’s your favourite type. So how about you, Wallace? You sound so tired, I assume you must have had a good round too.”

Wallace laughed weakly. “I really did. I played with myself everywhere, my hair, my lips, nipples, thighs...and then I imagined the wet blowjob that you asked for. I had to use a lot of spit for it though, but I guess that makes it all the more authentic. Anyway, it almost felt like the one I had in the dream...I came all over myself, and I even tasted a bit of it because I was that horny.”

“Oh wow...you did far more than I could even suggest. Did it taste good?”

“It tasted all right - though a little bit strange. Come to think of it, do you know how your vagina tastes?”

Steven gasped. “N-no, I never thought to taste myself like that. I imagine it would also be average tasting but strange.”

It was amazing how they completely removed their personal boundaries in a state like this. While the image of Steven in the shower was still lingering on, Wallace suddenly thought of a strange question. “Um...Steven, do you keep those rings on while showering?”

“...haha! You know, actually, I do. These are stainless steel rings that can resist anything. They um...sometimes give extra sensation too. I like the cold touch of steel when I play with my chest and face…”

“Oh, do you? Perhaps I should try some steel play sometime later on,” Wallace half-joked.

“That’s a good idea...I could even give you some steel rings if you’re up for it.”

They would go on like this for months, taking their friendship to a new level without ever quite acknowledging the boundaries they were breaking down to feed their lust. It was like an addicting state of high, which Wallace didn’t want to stop - and as long as they didn’t stop each other, they would continue talking to each other like this. Despite that, they never managed to meet in person, although that was perhaps part of the reason they were drawn so close together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> JUST GET MARRIED ALREADY GUYS


	8. A Vibrating Touch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven gets a vibrator. Cue more explicit games.

Wallace didn’t think it was possible for them to get any further explicit - surely it was a matter of time before one of them would protest, but Steven showed no signs of stopping. In fact, he seemed to thoroughly enjoy the company, and tonight they would take this game many steps further.

“I’ve had a long week, but I’m going to find the ultimate way to relax. Guess what I got.”

“Hmm...I have no idea, actually. Do tell?”

“Heh…” Steven’s voice into that deep, lustful tone again. “It’s a vibrator...made of steel.”

“O-oh!” Wallace almost dropped the glass of water he was holding at the time when Steven told him that. “Wow...steel?! I didn’t even know you could get those in that material?”

“Steel...it is quite a versatile material. Not only is it durable but it is safe and easy to clean for such purposes. I did quite a lot of research before getting this, and I really wasn’t intending to get one in steel when it first came to mind, but in the end it really did seem like the best material. Its surface is smooth and cool to the touch...I’m sure this is something I will enjoy most.”

“So you mean to tell me you haven’t tried it yet?”

“Yeah...not yet,” Steven said. Wallace could’ve sworn he then heard the sounds of zips being undone and the rustling of clothes.

“W-well, if you want your private time to go test it out, feel free and you can tell me about it later…”

“That won’t be necessary. I mean, what’s the need to hang up?”

“U-uh...that’s a good point…” Wallace thought he’d get used to Steven being like this, but he always felt so freshly flustered whenever they jumped on each other like this. “So...you want me to listen to you using it?”

“If you wouldn’t mind…”

“...Steven, that’s so disgusting…” Despite the choice of negative words though, Wallace was all too excited for this. He sat himself on his small desk as he listened closely for any sound that Steven made. “I’m all ears.”

“Thanks. I’m just...going to drop this on my desk here. Mmm...did I tell you I’m doing this right here in my office? I couldn’t be bothered to go back to my room. Well, technically this whole floor is my room…”

“Ughh. Yes, remind me how you basically own all of Devon.” Wallace really liked the fact that at times, Steven was shameless of his affluence, but only because in reality Steven was always so humble about his background. “So...how do you plan to use the...device?”

“Oh, like, you know, just rub it against myself in certain places...actually, why don’t you tell me where?” There was a sound of a click, and then the soft buzzing sound of the vibrator could be heard through the phone. “So...I’m on my chair, naked waist down and shirt unbuttoned. I’m waiting for your orders...Wallace.”

Yet again Steven made Wallace command him - it was so obvious that Steven either liked being controlled like this, or had very little creativity. Either way, Wallace was feeling tingly all over, even though there was nothing physically stimulating it. “Mmm...damn...I can’t believe you’re asking me to do this. Let’s see...how about you put it on your nipples?”

“Good idea...ohh! Aah…that’s good...”

Wallace had to suppress himself from moaning too. He had never actually heard Steven live while masturbating before - all this time they made each other do some lewd things and retell their experiences in a similarly explicit manner, which by now they were used to. But this...

“How does it feel, Steven?”

“It’s...cold, but relaxing...my nipples are getting so hard from this. Mmm...can’t wait to see how this feels on my clit…”

“Ughh, desperate, are we?” Steven had no idea what his voice was doing to Wallace, but in spite of all that, he tried to keep a firm tone. “Maybe before you move it there, you should put it in your mouth and give it some wetness.”

“Aaaah...I-I’m putting it on my lips...mmm…”

“Oh my gosh…” If Steven continued this way, Wallace wouldn’t be able to keep his composure. “Put it in your mouth…”

“Ok…” There was silence, aside from the buzzing sound, but then there was laughter. “...Wallace, not a good idea to put a vibrating object in your mouth. All I felt was the clattering steel against my teeth.”

“Really? Whoops!” Wallace kind of wanted to slap himself for the stupid suggestion, but he really thought that the idea of Steve sucking off the steel object would be a hot idea. “Well nevermind...maybe let’s see if it agrees with your clit better?”

“Yeah, I think I managed to get it a little wet anyway. Aah...mmm...ohhh!” Steven’s moans were quiet, but nevertheless, they were still so hot to hear, and each moan sounded like a genuine sign of pleasure. “This is...aah...oh my, I’m so sensitive…”

Steven’s voice was doing so much to Wallace’s body that Steven himself really had no idea about. He almost wanted to join in and touch himself as the same time while all this was happening, but at the moment he wanted to focus all his attention on Steven and his new toy. While Steven was too busy moaning at the touch of steel, Wallace wondered if he had ever played with anything else besides his clit - they never really brought it up, come to think of it, mostly because Wallace didn’t want to intrude on what Steven decided not to talk about, but at this point he grew far too curious.

“Steven...how do you feel about penetration?”

“Hmm...you know, it’s not something I usually do...but...mhmm…I’m so wet…” The faint sounds of sucking could be heard, and Wallace wondered if it was what he was thinking. He then heard a louder moan coming from Steven. “I'm fingering myself now... Aaaah! That’s...actually quite good…”

“Yeah? You seem so surprised…”

“Heh...that’s because usually I don’t like poking in there but...mmm...right now I’m just so horny everywhere…”

"Steven..."

"Yes...oh yes..." Steven sounded like he was in so much bliss - moreso than when he spoke about rocks, so that was saying a lot. "Wallace...I'm going to...put this inside me..."

Shuddering, Wallace nodded. "Please do..."

The buzzing sound stopped for a moment, but following that, a deep and loud moan followed and the buzzing came back.

"Oh...fuck!!! That's so good...Aaaah!!" Steven was heavily panting by now, to the point where the vibrations of the sounds were physically giving Wallace sensations. "I'm...ah...I can't hold back...mmmmm...aaaaaaah!"

Wallace only let out a gasp, as he assumed those long moans from Steven were from his orgasm. What Wallace would give to see this image with his very own eyes.

The sound of the vibrator stopped, and Steven let out a satisfied-sounding sigh. "That was amazing..."

"It definitely was...mm. Hey, Steven...how do you feel about putting the vibrator in your mouth again?"

"After it's been inside me? Mmm...that is so explicit..." The sounds of sucking and moaning were heard, and it took a while before he spoke again. "Tastes...warm."

Wallace moaned in response to that image. "No longer cool to the touch, huh?"

"Ha...this is the first time I have tasted myself...and steel. Did you enjoy this, Wallace?"

"You have no idea." Wallace knew he'd definitely need to deal with his own physical needs after this. "I'm glad you had so much fun, Steven."

"It was my pleasure...literally. Oh...I should clean up the floor. I made a huge mess that I can't let the cleaners see. Well then..."

"You made a mess?! Ughh..." Steven kept surprising him in so many ways that Wallace didn't expect. Tonight would be a very tiring one for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bzzz bzzzzzz


	9. The Golden Crash

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reality hits back on Wallace and Steven as they start facing troubles in their life.

“Hey Steven, how’s your relaxation going?”

“Not much. Sorry Wallace, can’t talk right now. Got quite a bit of stuff to deal with here.”

The following month had become strange - over the week, Steven began to contact Wallace less and less little by little. He said that things were getting particularly busy at Devon, which Wallace understood and didn’t want to interfere with, but it was unusual having to start cutting out of contact with Steven like this.

“Steven? Haven’t spoken to you in a while.”

“Yeah...sorry. I’ve had to do a few more hours these days, we can’t seem rely on returns from investments and our profits aren’t so shiny at the moment.”

“I see...how are you, Steven?”

“I’m ok.”

Even when they had the time to talk, their conversations started becoming less about having fun and more about Steven’s work problems. Wallace was always there to listen, but it came to a certain point where he became almost frustrated that all Steven could talk about was whatever woes were going on with the company. He even stopped talking about his rocks and stones - their conversations had become that passionless.

“I hate that I’m having to put in part of my stocks into this company. My dad told me he really needed the favour but I seriously don’t like the guy. I don’t trust I’ll get a good return but dad really insisted - he isn’t usually desperate like this unless there’s huge trouble in our company,” Steven would say.

“That sucks,” was how Wallace would reply by standard.

At some days, Wallace even refused to pick up to talk to Steven. That had never happened before considering they were so keen even to hear each others’ voices. The last time they had met was too long ago, but at this moment it was clear Steven had no time for that. It was starting to become like the time where Steven lost touch with Wallace - would it happen again? Would Steven really do that, after how much they had shared with and trusted each other?

Or was he intentionally backing out because he was scared of how close they had become? Perhaps Wallace should have seen it coming from the start.

One quiet evening, an unusual thing happened - Wallace’s Pokenav was ringing like crazy. He was still washing during the time it rang, so he couldn’t pick it up - but after around perhaps ten times of ringing, Wallace sighed and came out of the bath at last, only wrapping himself up in a towel before picking up.

“Hello? Is everything ok?”

“Wallace, I’m freaking out so much right now.” It was Steven, of course, but it was so strange that after being quiet for a while, he was suddenly so eager to speak to Wallace again. “The stock market crash is getting worse and now Devon’s in huge shit. All our investments and savings - what will happen to them?! What will happen to me, Wallace? Will I be all right? Please, help me…”

“Steven.” Wallace never quite understood how all this financial stuff worked, but as far as he knew, Steven was quite loaded and even if Devon collapsed, at least Steven had something to live off on. All this week he had gone on about nothing but making bad investments, obnoxious employees, losing profits - it was like he had turned into some kind of malfunctioning robot. “Didn’t you say you have a secret savings account in case things go bad? Anyway, you’re like the world’s richest boy, and you still have tons of nuggets and duplicate rocks I’m sure you could sell for a good price. You’ll still be rich.”

“Wallace, that’s not what I wanted you to say.”

“Then what did you want me to say? Why did you even call me? You know I know squat about business issues and it’s not like I can do anything about it. I mean look, I’m sorry to hear about your company and please do send your father my regards, but I’m hardly one to ask for help when I don’t have anything at hand.” Wallace was starting to lose his patience, after already having put up with Steven’s problems for days and without having him make up for it in some way.

“I-I just wanted you to say it’ll be fine…”

“I just said that and you told me you said didn’t want to hear it!”

“I-I guess, I’m sorry...but, come on, can’t you talk and help me feel better?”

How clueless could Steven be? Wallace felt at fault for letting his feelings bottle up until this point, but what kind of friend would he have been if he refused to listen to his own friends’ troubles? Perhaps they were brought up too differently - while Wallace had learned to be expressive thanks to Juan, deep inside there was still a large part that made him fear sharing negative emotions, something that he learned from a young age and couldn’t let go of. Steven on the other hand was more open to it, probably a little more spoilt than him being surrounded by money and all.

“Don’t you think you’re overreacting quite a bit? I already told you that you’ve got a backup plan in case Devon is doomed.”

“It’s not just about the money - that’s my entire name, my entire business gone!”

“Then consider yourself fortunate that’s all you need to worry about.”

“Wallace...why are you being so cold when I said I need some comfort?”

“Why? Because, it’s a bit rich for you to come crying to me when you’ve not been talking to me for the past few weeks! I didn’t want to disturb you since I figured you were busy, and I always listened to you when you were going through tough times. I didn’t tell you this earlier, because I didn’t want to add more to stress you out. Steven, I was forced to quit doing contests. I can’t afford it any longer.” At this point, Wallace was close to tears. “So while you’re too worried about which stones you’ll find or which asshole you need to invest in next, I’ve hit the end of the road for my dream! I’m never going to be a contest star anymore! It’s all over for me - and not once did you offer to listen to me, because you were too damn busy being angry at people and numbers in front of you.”

“...Wallace, why didn’t you tell me this? I...I didn’t realize at all. If you needed money I could have given-”

“No Steven, you just said your company is in trouble and your money is probably needed in better places right now. I shouldn’t have told you about this...sorry, just forget it. Sorry about your company again. Good night.” Although feeling incredibly guilty, Wallace instantly hung up. He was still in nothing but his towel, but already he was giving himself more reasons to dry up.

~

The two friends did manage to talk with each other properly the following day. Steven was actually at work, but it was considerate that he spent his working time to call Wallace.

“I wanted to say sorry for last night. It was pretty rude of me to send you such panicked calls after not having spoken to you as much as we should have. Believe me, Wallace, I’d much rather be talking to you about our fun things than be dealing with all this company crap.”

Wallace was feeling much calmer after Steven said that. “No, it was my fault for being so angry when I should have supported you. I should have realized you were under a lot of stress. So...hey, how are things going there?”

“Actually...aside from staring at the stock market graphs and panicking, people aren’t doing much here. But Wallace, I called you because I have something important to tell you. My father and I are going to an emergency business meeting. We’re going to be leaving soon and we’ll be flying out of the region. Sadly it’s standard boring stuff you’ve already heard too much of, but hopefully after this meeting we’ll have at least secured our company and make sure it doesn’t fall defunct.”

“You’re leaving Hoenn?!” Wallace started panicking again. “Today?”

“Yeah, sorry, it’s an emergency and I have to be there...but I’ll still have my Pokenav so you can contact me. Anyway, I should only be about a few days. Also, if you ever get into trouble as a result of all this, I do indeed have a secret savings store. You know the way to my room, right? I’ve told the guys at Devon that I’ve given you permission to visit my office. There’s a safe behind my collection of stones. The code is 5-4-8-2-4 should you ever need it.”

“Steven...why are you just giving me access, just like that? I won’t dare to touch your money when the whole region’s economy is toppling.”

“You need it more than I do. Anyway, it’s the least I can do for all this. I’m sorry I’ve been a little distant these days. I still think about you everyday. Please take care of yourself.”

“All right...thank you, Steven. Good luck over there. I’ll be rooting for Devon!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lol I HAVE NO IDEA HOW STOCK MARKET CRASHES WORK DOES POKEMON EVEN HAVE A STOCK MARKET??? ???


	10. Missing Steven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wallace's life without Steven suddenly becomes too much to bear.

It was surprisingly hard to spend a day without contacting Steven. Having no contest to practice for and no other commitments besides training at the gym, there was not much else Wallace could do to make the time pass by.

It was considerably challenging going a second day without Steven. He said his Pokenav would be available should Wallace want to contact him. But no matter how much he tried, it would not go through. It would simply give the same machine-recorded message telling him that Steven was unavailable. He managed to try and distract himself in Juan’s company, who knew of Wallace’s situation and promised that his position within the gym was secure. It gave a huge amount of relief to Wallace, but right now he only wanted to hear back from Steven. By now, he'd sleep with the Pokenav, cuddling it as it was his only form of contact with Steven.

A third day went by and now Wallace really worried. Still no contact from Steven. In all vain he tried to watch the finance section of the news, something he usually tried to avoid to escape from it all, but he hoped for the slight chance that Steven might appear on TV. There was no news of it - only reminders that Hoenn and a few other regions were hit hard as a result of this economic downturn, and that Pokemarts were having to inflate their prices as a result.

Wallace decided to go and travel to Devon Headquarters, knowing that he wouldn’t find Steven there, but perhaps someone there might have contact with him. While travelling there, he made sure to wear the necklace that Steven had brought him. He entered the familiar looking reception, but it was so strange coming here without Steven’s company - he had always been there with him whenever he visited.

Cluelessly, Wallace went towards the receptionist. “I-I’m Wallace...um, a friend of Steven’s. I um...was wondering if you had his current contact details?”

“I have his business card here if that is what you need.”

Wallace had a look, but the number on there was exactly the same as the one he already had. He shook his head. “I’ve been trying to contact this number for days but it hasn’t gone through.”

“Mister Steven Stone is currently out of the region. He may be busy.”

“No, he said he would contact me but I’ve heard nothing from him! Hasn’t he been in touch with the company either?”

“Sorry sir, but as a matter of fact he hasn’t. Usually our CEO Joseph Stone is the one we contact in these matters.”

 _Mr Stone - of course!_ “Do you mind if I have Mr Stone’s number?”

“Here is his card.” Wallace had a look, and then entered the number into his Pokenav straight away. If he could get in touch with Mr Stone then at least he might know that Steven was doing fine.

The phone went through and was answered. “Joseph Stone, CEO of Devon Corporation, how may I help?”

“Mr Stone! It’s me, Wallace...Steven’s friend? How is Steven?”

“Wallace? ...oh! Hoho! You’re that guy Steven always invites and spends all night talking to! Has he not been in touch with you lately?”

Wallace was both flattered and a little embarrassed that Steven’s father pointed these facts out, but right now he was far too anxious to care. “No, that’s why I am contacting you. It’s been three days and I haven’t heard from him even though I was expecting a message. Are you with him?”

“I’m so sorry, Wallace. We both took our flight together but we’ve had to go to several different places - that’s why I took my son with me, since I can’t be in two places at once unless I cut myself up like a diamond in half! I haven’t managed to get in touch with him either. We’re supposed to meet up tomorrow, but I’ll tell you what. I’ll look for him since I at least know where he is supposed to be, so I’ll see what he’s up to - hopefully not gotten himself lost in a cave rather than trying to save our economy, eh!”

Mr Stone was being way more lighthearted than Wallace could imagine he could be, but perhaps that was his own way of dealing with this. In truth, Mr Stone must have been quite worried too.

“Thank you, sir. Sorry for bothering you at a time like this.”

Once the conversation ended, Wallace did feel like perhaps he should check out Steven’s office, for no particular reason - he just needed _something_ with Steven.

Since he had permission, he took the lift up and entered the code to Steven’s room - something he had already become familiar with after meeting him here a couple of times. The room was in its usual state, all the displays of rocks and gems still in there - just lacking in Steven.

Wallace felt a strange surge of nostalgia, coming in here. He remembered the time he spent here with Steven, back when they were able to chill out and pretend to be working when really they were using the time to catch up on each others’ lives. The chessboard hadn’t been touched since their last game, and Steven’s open diary had nothing new inside it.

He wasn’t visiting for his purpose, but he remembered Steven telling him about his secret stash should it ever come to that. He honestly did not intend to take anything - but curiosity got the better of him, and so he moved the stone display to one side to reveal a rather large safe behind it. He entered the passcode, which worked - and there, he saw the inside of the safe light up, with what must have been thousands of gold coins, gold bars, nuggets, and diamond pieces.

How could Steven leave all this for Wallace to take? It was so enticing - with all this, Wallace could have afforded to go back to his contests, pay off everything for his family and even get the Sootopolis Gym renovated. Wallace couldn’t recall the last time he had been near this much amount of money in his life.

“No...no...” Wallace instantly shut the safe, before he could be further tempted. This felt so wrong - he couldn’t take Steven’s money just like that.

Wallace put everything back in its place, and let out a huge sigh as he threw himself onto Steven’s chair. He let his fingers feel the desk beneath him, the mass of paperwork that had accumulated on the desk, and the family photos that Steven kept on his desk.

He didn’t want Steven’s money. He just wanted Steven to be here.

~

_“The crystal that is on your necklace is a rare gem I found while I was diving, actually. And you thought I only found them in dry caves, huh?”_

_Wallace laughed. He still couldn’t take his eyes off from the mirror. “It doesn’t surprise me. Water is filled with all kinds of things. At least you seem to have some kind of appreciation for it.”_

_Steven moved his hand towards Wallace’s necklace, fingers barely touching his neck - Wallace shuddered, but he quite enjoyed the attention._

_“As you can see, it’s a deep blue with bright sparkles inside it. It was such a rare gem in such a perfect formation that I didn’t want to dismantle it to examine the contents. I mean, I can confirm it’s not some toxic radioactive substance...but I just couldn’t break open this beauty just to further examine its structure, and it was difficult enough turning it into a necklace without being too intrusive on the gem. I’ve never come across a gem like this ever since, so I suppose its story will forever be a mystery. I thought its origin and beauty would suit you quite well.”_

_“It is beautiful. You’re so lovely, Steven. Your backstory on this stone...or lack thereof, truly touched me.”_

_Steven laughed. “I knew you’d love the fact that I couldn’t rant about the story of this gem.”_

_“I guess I’ll give it its own story. How about that?”_

_“Sounds like a good idea.” The two of them stared into the reflection for a while. Wallace figured there was no need to say any words._

~

His phone was ringing - Wallace suddenly jerked up, and realized the place had gotten a lot darker. Shit, did he just fall asleep in Steven’s office?

After he felt awake enough to move, Wallace redialed the unfamiliar number that went off. “Hello?”

“Wallace!” That familiar voice sent a strange kind of sinking feeling down Wallace’s chest - but it was one of relief. Steven was there, talking to him again.

“Steven! How...what happened?”

“I’m so so sorry! My Pokenav had broken and I never realized it! My father came looking for me frantically and I didn’t know that people had been trying to contact me until he told me. So I got this temporary phone for now. Good news is that I’m done with these meetings, and I’m coming home in a bit. Wallace, don’t worry. Devon’s going to be fine. It’s going to be a little tough but we’re going to get through this.”

Wallace almost felt like collapsing in relief. “Steven...I’m so glad to hear you’re fine. I was so worried! Would you believe it, I’m at your office right now - and I just fell asleep!”

“Ahh, that’s fine. You can sleep there and even use the room service if you wish, I told them you had permission. Did you come to take out the money?”

“No...um, I did look, but I didn’t touch anything. Steven, I couldn’t do it. All I could think of was you! I didn’t want the money if it meant not having you around!”

“Oh Wallace, I’ll be back in a few hours. It’s not like taking that money is taking part of me away. And like I said, Devon will be all right after we sort a few things out, so I’m not going bankrupt. Seriously, if you need to put it to good use then please do.”

“No Steven, I won’t. But I will probably stay in your office a while longer and use the butlers...I’ll be waiting for you to return!”

“Ok, I’m set to fly in 2 hours and that should take around an hour. So it won’t be too long.”

That was a huge relief to hear. Wallace had already slept for - how long was it? He checked the time, and it was 8pm. He could stay up a few more hours to welcome Steven back to Hoenn. In the meantime, he called the butler to serve him some snacks and drinks, something he’d need to excitingly anticipate Steven’s return.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> calm down Wallace it was only three days also you should have taken all that $$$$$$$$$


	11. Homecoming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven returns home and the two friends catch up with one another.

After what seemed like forever, a sleek black car that could only be holding someone who was a VIP came along towards Devon HQ, and Wallace knew instantly it had to be them.

Mr Stone was the first to come out of the car, and on the opposite was Steven. It had been such a long time since he last saw Steven in person. While looking tired, Steven still looked as dashing as ever, dressed fit enough to save the economy in style - or whatever it was he went to do in those meetings, but Wallace liked to imagine that Steven was a financial superhero at this point.

While he was supposed to wait in the reception, Wallace found himself instantly pushing the doors of the building open and running towards Steven. Steven saw him and immediately opened his arms into an embrace, almost toppling them both back onto the car.

“Steven! I was so worried about you!”

“Wallace!” The two of them kept holding onto each other as if nothing else mattered, even if the wind outside was making them cold - though eventually Steven coughed, and separated their contact as Mr Stone walked up towards them.

“Well boys, I’ve had a long day so I’m going to bed...Steven, are you going to invite more friends over tonight? Are you planning on holding a party to celebrate that we’re not going to lose our jobs?”

“You know, I sure could. Wallace, how about it? You can stay in my office and have a sleepover if you like.”

“Really? I-is that ok?” Wallace felt so bad for continuing to freeload on Steven’s space, but it was a pretty late time to be going all the way back to Sootopolis. He probably could have stayed for the night at somewhere else in Rustboro or nearby, but he obviously would rather be in Steven’s living space.

“Of course! Come, let’s go inside.”

Yet again the two ascended in the glass elevator, all while Wallace’s heart was pumping fast even though he felt so much more at ease. He couldn’t stop smiling at Steven, and he only realized now that his hand was gripped tightly onto Steven’s arm. Neither seemed to mind it though.

“Wallace...I’m really sorry to have worried you. I can’t believe my Pokenav decided to break now of all times. I’ll get a new one as soon as possible. And um...I’m still really sorry I haven’t been able to talk to you as often as I’d like to.”

“That’s okay.” They landed on their floor and proceeded into Steven’s office - together.

Instead of heading to the desk though, they settled themselves on the soft couches where a table was in the centre - it was a much better place to relax after all. It was also very nicely decorated in all these stone displays and even the table inside had stones underneath the glass surface. Steven still called for room service since apparently their shifts could even extend towards midnight, ordering the usual stuff. The familiar waiter didn’t seem to find it unusual anymore that Wallace was always around in their presence.

When they were alone again, Steven was the first to speak. “So...I noticed you’re wearing that necklace I got you.”

“Heh. Well...it is nice.” Wallace touched it briefly.

“I’m glad you like wearing it. Also, I know you said you didn’t want more material things from me but...for all the trouble and worry I put you through, I bought you some gifts I thought you’d like...” Steven got up from the couch and headed towards his desk, then came back with a velvet pouch and placed it into Wallace’s hands.

“Oh Steven! Thank you so much…” Pleasantly surprised, he opened the pouch and poured some of the contents onto his hand - but they wouldn’t all fit, so he carefully placed them on the sleek glass table in front of them. Out came a few rings with bright crystal decorations, and several small pieces of what appeared to be shards of rare gems and diamond pieces.

“I hope you like it. I remember I promised to give you some steel rings...I could have given you these plain rings like the ones I have, but I thought you’d prefer these gem-decorated ones which I also had custom made for you. As for those shards and diamond pieces, well...I thought they’d make a nice display and well, you could always keep them for display or sell them. But those are also the same pieces I used in your other rings. If you want, you can pick your own ring design with these materials. I thought you’d like the idea of customizing your very own ring designs. If you ever decide which ring base and colour arrangement you want, bring them over to me and I’ll even let you watch me handcraft it.”

“Steven!” The thought that went into this was amazing. The fact that Steven remembered about their conversation on rings made it clear that Steven never forgot about Wallace, even when their contact started becoming more distant. “This is such an amazing idea! You should...do this as a business! You’d get so popular!”

“Hmm...I’ve considered it. But I think you should be my first VIP guest. It’s more special this way.”

Wallace laughed and tried on all the rings on his fingers, even placing one on his ring finger, simply because he had no more room. “Ahh...these are so gorgeous! They’re so perfect that I don’t have any custom ring ideas at the moment!”

“I can tell you about the materials used for each one.” Steven held one of Wallace’s hands, pointing a finger on the ring that he described. “This one is made of ruby, put on a ring base made of pure gold. I like to think it represents a burning passion and great strength. This one here...is made of diamonds and small pieces of emerald on platinum. I thought of health and balance when I made this one. This one next to it is made of steel with sapphire stones and more diamonds, because I figured that you love anything that resembles the ocean.” He then placed his hand on Wallace’s other hand and continued. “This one is made of copper, giving it its rich almost-pink colour, carved in these miniature patterns and a few pieces of ruby that shine in a purple hue. It’s the closest colour to a heart that ores can become. This one is made of gold and silver and diamonds, I based it off a shiny Metagross…”

Wallace giggled, feeling like such a queen being given this poetic treatment by Steven. “You have such a creative thought process.”

“Heh…” Finally, Steven pointed to the last ring, the one on Wallace’s ring finger. “This was the closest gem I could find to match with your necklace. I placed it on a simple platinum ring. Since we know our mysterious stone doesn’t quite have a story we know about, I guess it’s up to you what this ring represents.”

“Amazing!” Wallace had a huge cheesy smile on him, knowing he must have been blushing a lot from all this pampering. “I’d definitely win the beauty contest wearing these...if I was still part of it.”

“But Wallace, I could pay for it - seriously. I’ve told you Devon will be fine, we’re not going to be losing out, so please don’t feel guilty of taking what you need.”

“Well...it’s not all that bad. I could do with a break from it anyway. I mean, now I’ve at least made the job at the gym permanent and I’m able to spend more time at home.” He looked at Steven again and then figured, he could do with a hug - and so he wrapped his arms around Steven, who returned back with an embrace. This time, Steven fell over onto his back on the couch, dragging Wallace along with him, though neither seemed to mind. In fact they were both amused by it and simply laughed.

They did eventually sit upright again, but Wallace resumed the embrace, finding comfort in clinging onto Steven. Surprisingly Steven also seemed just as clingy, if not more.

“I don’t want to lose you, Wallace...I’m sorry I made you think otherwise.”

“Don’t worry about it. You had your reasons.” Wallace felt himself getting tired, and covered his yawning mouth. “Aah...Steven, where do you usually sleep?”

“I have a bedroom on this floor, but sometimes I just sleep here on the desk or couches, so suit yourself however you like.”

“I see…” Wallace then only remembered his head landing on Steven’s shoulder before apparently finding it so comforting, he fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> alternate chapter name "i want to have sex with you on this couch and run this company with you but im too shy to ask lol"


	12. Back To Business

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wallace realizes his life isn't going so bad after all, and Steven of course pays him a visit at his workplace.

Wallace knew Steven had quite a lot of catching up to do with the company and kept the intrusion at a minimum, not calling Steven just whenever he felt like it. Now that he knew Steven was doing fine and that they already had a chance to meet recently, Wallace no longer felt any of the anxiety build up. In a way it was good that Wallace had more free time to do things, and despite the state of the economy there was always the option of going into Steven’s secret savings, though he never dared to want to resort to using it.

One afternoon, Wallace got an unexpected call from Steven. He hoped it wasn’t something too serious.

“Hey, Wallace! So uh...believe it or not, I’ve been given the week off while the company goes through um...let’s say dad said he’ll sort things out while we go through a rehaul. Anyway, I was thinking. When we meet, it’s always you coming to my place, but I realized I haven’t visited Sootopolis since forever. How do you feel about me coming along?”

“Sure!” Wallace replied with much enthusiasm, remembering that they were still only kids the last time Steven came over. “When do you plan on coming by?”

“How’s the following Monday? That’s when my break starts.”

“I’ll be in the gym until the evening but I suppose you can come by and watch me working for once, but much as Juan does a great job maintaining the place it’s not quite the same as your office.”

Steven laughed. “That’s great. I’ll even bring food over for you. I look forward to meeting you again.”

~

Steven of course arrived far too early, two hours before Wallace was due to be released from work. It seemed like he did this on purpose just to watch Wallace battle it out with other visitors. It was like Steven couldn’t get enough of Wallace embarrassing himself - well, he knew that wasn’t Steven’s motive and he’d protest by saying it wasn’t embarrassing, but still, Wallace couldn’t help but be ever self-conscious. Yet at the same time, having Steven watch him really motivated him to show off more, and he found himself becoming a huge barrier for many visitors, more so than usual, to the point where Juan had very little to do other than drink tea and stare at himself in the mirror.

“Wallace!” Juan called him, and Wallace immediately went over to his master. “You are on fire today! You have stopped so many trainers from proceeding, you’ve collected so many dropped coins from the poor visitors who have had to run out in a haste to the Pokemon centre only to attempt to rechallenge you and lose! What’s happened? I am beginning to wonder if being a mere gym trainer is too much of a low standard for one such as yours.”

“Thank you, Master.” Wallace gave the bag of “tips” - the winnings and dropped coins from trainers who lost in the gym matches - to Juan, which was the usual standard for all trainers of the gym to do. When Juan took the bag, he pocketed around half of it, then gave the rest back to Wallace.

“You keep it. The gym already has plenty to keep in its coffers. You did quite the magnificent job today!”

“I-I can’t keep this! This is supposed to be shared with the other trainers and be used to maintain the gym!” Wallace shook his head and offered the bag to Juan yet again.

“Wallace, we call them ‘tips’ for a reason...trainers who do well get paid more courtesy of trainers that happen to lose to them, ayy! And besides, you have spent more hours than other trainers here, so I say you have earned it.” Juan picked up his teacup again as he sat down on his throne-like chair, obvious that he was not interested in taking Wallace’s “tips”. “Go on, your friend is waiting for you! Go do something fun for a change!”

“Master...thank you.” Wallace bowed gracefully and decided he might as well take the cash and keep it in his savings or give it to his family. Steven waited near the exit. intrigued by Wallace’s new-found wealth.

“Got rich at work I see, gym trainer Wallace?”

“Hmph. I just got lucky today because the trainers were a little naive, and I suppose they’re trying to save up their money so they’re coming in more unprepared than usual…”

“Give yourself more credit than that, Wallace. You were seriously fierce.” Steven opened the door for Wallace to exit. “So, I promised I’d have food on me. Where shall we sit and eat?”

“Hmm…” Wallace looked around the breezy town, where the skies were still warm and bright enough to stay outside. “Follow me, I know just the place.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> gym challengers lose their entire life saving  
> juan: ayy lmao


	13. Night Of Origin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wallace and Steven have a picnic together, which soon escalates into something else.

Wallace guided Steven towards near his home, where it was secluded enough for them to have enough privacy while not being too isolated. It was near a large tree and a clean patch of grass located nearby the lake. Wallace figured it would make an excellent picnic spot.

“This is quite a nice area. Hmm...good thing I bought us a blanket too. I never go out without one!”

“Is that because you’re always picnicking inside caves, Steven?”

“Possibly.” They laughed as Steven set out the blanket near under the tree, and then settled down to take out the boxes of bento and sushi in his bag. “I had these served fresh at Devon. I know you love Tamagoyaki, so I told them to make as many as they could.”

“Aah! This is amazing!” Not hiding the fact that he was starving, Wallace opened the box and instantly took the chopsticks out, ready to gobble up. “You are amazing as always, Steven. I am living the dream here.”

They ate mostly quietly, looking into the distance as the sun started to set and the river changed from blue to orange and purple, and occasionally looking at each other and smiling. Steven wasn’t in his usual work gear today - he still had a shirt on but had it loosely folded up to his elbows and no tie or suit present. The soft setting sunlight complimented Steven’s skin well, placing emphasis on his serene look as he continued to look at the surroundings of Sootopolis.

“Can’t believe it’s been years since I last visited. I hadn’t even began transitioning back then. I bet the rocks around here won’t be able to recognize me.”

“The rocks?” Wallace was still eating, being the slow eater he was - although tonight he was eating much quicker than usual considering how delicious this sushi was. “I’m not sure they recognize any of us, really.”

Steven laughed. “I was mostly joking. But you never know, some rocks have suddenly sprung to life and become classified as Pokemon. Anyway...I’m sure you didn’t bring me out here to talk about rocks all night, right?” Steven noticed Wallace was almost done, so he reached out for his bag and took out more surprises - drinks and dessert.

“Aaah! You got my favourite gummy candies and mochi and...is that matcha dorayaki?!” Wallace grabbed them all, feeling his appetite had revived after seeing all the sweet treats. “Oh my goodness! You’re spoiling me to much, Steven!”

“Treat yourself, this should be quite a fun dinner after all.” Steven took a few bits of dessert with content, though it looked like he was saving most of it for Wallace to have. Wallace felt a little guilty, but on the other hand, it wasn’t often that he was able to eat like royalty, while Steven had the facilities all the time at Devon.

~

They continued to eat as the skies became darker, but it was never too dark for them to keep hanging around, and the lamps and natural fluorescence of the lake and rocks around them let them continue to see their surroundings.

“Aughh...I’m so full, Steven...that was so good, but kind of tiring too! Thank you for the amazing treats.” Wallace pet his rather bloated-feeling stomach. “Look at me, I’m so filled! Steven, want to feel how bloated I am?”

“Oh, um...I guess if you’re okay with that.” Steven had a shy look to his face but reached out to touch Wallace’s chub anyway, and they both laughed as Steven pressed on and pet it. “Ah, you have such a cute stomach…”

“Hehe…” Wallace felt the petting was quite comforting, but Steven eventually stopped and sighed as he looked out again. The stars had come out, filling the lake with the illusions of glowing droplets within them. Steven sipped on his drink and sighed.

“This place sure is beautiful. The water, the skies, the formation of mountains...I really don’t know why I don’t visit more often.”

Wallace smiled. “Getting wistful now, are we?”

“I suppose that’s what this place does. It sure would be quite an ideal romantic setting…”

Just then, Wallace felt his heart skip a beat - he wasn’t sure exactly why, but he wanted to press on. “So you’d like to take someone out here, huh?”

“Heh. Yeah, I certainly would.” Steven smiled back and put his drink back into his bag.

“Well...whoever that person is sure would be lucky to be here with you.”

Steven let out a nervous laugh and then all of a sudden looked shy.”Hmm...I think I’d be the lucky one, actually.”

It wasn’t as if this was the most private conversation they ever had, but anyone else looking at them would see it was so painfully obvious why - there was definitely a tension in the air. Was Steven talking about who Wallace thought he was? Or was he so clouded by his own selfishness that everything turned into a signal for him?

“W-what do you mean by that?” Wallace asked, trying to sound clueless but feeling it was an unconvincing attempt.

“I-I’m too...shy to say.” Steven was no longer looking at Wallace, instead turning his head to the ground. _Darn_ , Wallace thought - he was so close to finding out. Maybe they just needed to talk a little more before Steven felt comfortable enough?

“Aww, well, I won’t pressure you. But maybe instead you can tell me how this ideal date of yours would go?”

“Uhh...umm. Heh. Well…” Steven sat up straight and established eye contact with Wallace yet again. “I’d...um. I’d love to kiss them right here…tell them they look beautiful.”

“That is really sweet of you.” Wallace smiled and noticed Steven was blushing slightly. “W-well, that’s something I’d like for an ideal date too.”

“That’s...good to know…” Steven laughed but then shook his head, covering his face with his hands. “I’m...so sorry, I’m just...so…”

“Steven…” Wallace leaned forward and put his hands on Steven’s, lowering them as an indicator that Steven didn’t need to be ashamed of anything. “It’s fine...you don’t need to…”

Wallace never finished his sentence, as the two of them noticed their hands were gripped tightly onto each other. They stared at each other for a moment, before Steven leaned his face closer to Wallace - as if he wanted a kiss.

“Steven...do you want to…?”

Steven nodded - that was all Wallace needed to close the gap between them and initiate a kiss. Steven moaned and gasped, surprised by Wallace’s actions yet clearly enjoying it, as his arms and hands moved towards the back of Wallace’s head to pull him closer. Wallace was still all too new to this - he had never actually kissed someone before, but the way Steven was wrapping his moist lips around his and getting his tongue involved displayed such a contrast to their experience, as well as just how much Steven must have been keeping these feelings bottled up for so long.

When they finished kissing, Steven tugged onto Wallace’s shirt, with a clear intention of taking it off - but before doing anything, he spoke up again.

“Wallace..is this ok?”

“Yes…” It was comforting to know Steven wouldn’t do anything without asking Wallace first, but at this stage, Wallace didn’t want Steven to hold back, no matter what. His shirt was unbuttoned and Steven proceeded to pull down Wallace’s trousers and underwear, leaving him in a half-dressed state. He somehow didn’t feel bothered at all that he was practically naked in front of Steven - outdoors as well, but he knew nobody else could see them from here.

“Beautiful…” Steven whispered as his eyes gazed down in admiration of Wallace’s body. He prompted Wallace to lay down, and Wallace comfortably did so, with the blanket still underneath him. Steven leaned over him and kissed again, while touching Wallace’s chest with his other hand which circled around his nipples, and then went lower, giving light touches to his length. Wallace could only moan loudly in response when Steven lowered his head to kiss him in the neck.

“Aah! Steven…!”

Steven withdrew and looked up. “I-is this all right?”

“Yes! I-I want more…”

“Ah...you sound so hot when you demand like that.” Steven trailed his lips and tongue lower to Wallace’s shoulder, then onto his nipples, and from the way Steven was crawling backwards, it was obvious where this was going. Wallace spread his legs to give Steven access.

Steven gripped onto Wallace’s erection with one hand, while teasingly kissing his thighs. “This is going to sound so strange...I hope you don’t judge. But...ever since you told me about your dream, I’ve wanted to do this for so long…”

“R-really?” Wallace intensely looked at Steven, who continued kissing and teasing until he then positioned his head in front of Wallace’s arousal, and started licking the tip of his erection.

“That feels good...aaah!” Wallace gasped when Steven took him by surprise and put the whole thing in this mouth, eyes closed and clearly focussed on making Wallace feel good. The sight was all too much for him, and he threw his head up, taking Steven out of his peripheral vision but in exchange seeing the stars above the skies. It was just as dreamy as when he had his wet dream of Steven - although somehow, this felt much so much more intense. His heart was beating fast and he was almost shaking, but it was out of pure joy and excitement.

While staring into the stars, Wallace couldn’t help but think how clueless he had been this whole time. Looking back, it was so clear that he and Steven liked each other. They were constantly flirting and exchanging intimate information, though Wallace initially assumed it was only a joke between them - a “bromance” or whatever they call it - and that would be it. But they grew far closer than that, to the point of depending on one another for company. They felt so bonded even just as friends, he should have known this something like this would eventually happen.

Wallace looked back down and saw Steven was now moving his head up and down, somewhat sloppy, but it all still felt so amazing. His hand was gripped tightly onto the base of Wallace’s arousal, and he could feel the cold hardness of Steven’s rings to an extent, but right now he was too overwhelmed by how Steven’s lips and tongue were bringing him close to orgasm.

“Mmm...Steven, I’m going to come...are you all right with that?”

Steven only gave a nod and a hum of approval before he sucked on harder, flickering his tongue on the head of Wallace’s cock. That was the area he was most sensitive at, something Steven must have figured out, and Wallace couldn’t help but start thrusting himself into Steven’s mouth. A few more thrusts afterwards, Wallace moaned loudly, fighting the urge to close his eyes in favour of watching himself release his orgasm into Steven’s mouth. The reward paid off - he had the most intense orgasm ever, and watched as Steven tried to take all of it in, but inevitably let a few drops escape from his mouth, leaving them both in a right mess.

Wallace finally let his head rest at level with the ground, taking another brief glimpse of the stars before closing his eyes, catching his breath and feeling slightly dizzy. He felt Steven crawl back up and his lips landing on his, and Wallace could only moan in arousal and kiss back, letting Steven share the taste of himself.

“I’ve wanted to do that for so, so long…” Steven whispered into Wallace’s ear. Wallace opened his eyes and laughed tiredly.

“Yeah...I could tell how keen you were.”

“Was I good? Did it feel good like in your dreams?”

“Even better.” Wallace pulled Steven’s head down for another kiss. “Mhmm...now I need to repay the favour to you.”

“Aah...y-you don’t have to if you don’t want…”

“I want you, Steven.” Wallace turned their positions around, putting Steven’s back onto the ground and Wallace on top. They kissed again, not caring how much of a mess their mouths and faces had become, and Wallace then gave Steven the same treatment of unbuttoning his shirt. He decided to take it off so that he could see Steven completely naked - he wanted to see Steven fully exposed with nothing to hold back. He wanted everything from Steven.

He teased Steven’s chest with his hands, squeezing as much of his chest as he possibly could. Steven wasn’t as loud as him but his facial reactions were a clear sign he was enjoying this. Still, he did want to make sure he didn’t push his boundaries.

“Steven, let me know if there’s something I shouldn’t do…”

“N-no, anything is good...ah, Wallace, please…” Steven started taking off his own trousers before Wallace could reach out, and he kicked them off promptly. He was left in only his boxers, but it had become apparent he was very visibly aroused.

“Steven...I can see how wet you are from here…” Wallace pressed his fingers on the fabric where the wetness was, and he started to mentally trace the outline of Steven’s shape by rubbing his fingers all over.

“Ahh…” Steven jerked his hips up, looking at Wallace with an intense look. “Mmm...don’t be such a tease…”

“Sorry,” Wallace laughed. He was starting to feel desperate to see what Steven looked like completely naked, so he grabbed onto his boxers and slipped them off. Steven was blushing and completely wet down there, and Wallace was amazed to see how big his clitoris was.

“Like what you see, Wallace?”

“I love it. Steven, you’re so gorgeous…” He took a moment to capture the image of a completely naked Steven laying before him. He then opened Steven’s legs manually and placed his head in between them. From here he could capture the scent of Steven - hoping it wasn’t strange to feel this way, but it was such an addicting sensation, Wallace couldn’t get enough of it. He pressed his lips onto Steven’s aroused clit, then brought his head back up to give it a teasing lick.

“Ohh...that’s so good…” Steven was looking at Wallace, particularly enjoying it whenever Wallace stick his tongue out to make the view a lot clearer. He felt so good putting on a display for Steven, performing such a lewd act that only Steven could get away with him seeing.

“Should I also put in my fingers, Steven…?”

“Mmm...just one, for now…” Despite the command, Steven sounded absolutely desperate. Wallace licked one finger just to be sure, although the sight of Steven’s opening already looked lubricated more than enough. He then slowly inserted it inside, and while he felt like his finger was too small and slender to give much stimulation, Steven instantly shook and threw his head back with a loud moan.

“Wow...you are so sensitive, aren’t you?”

“Wallace…” His voice was so shaky, so vulnerable and needy. It turned Wallace on so much, and he continued by sliding his finger in and out slowly, feeling how warm and wet Steven was from inside. At the same time, he took in all of Steven’s clit inside his mouth, losing himself in the strange and yet irresistible taste of Steven’s skin.

He found a spot that made Steven shudder whenever his tongue rolled over it, and so he repeated his flickering motions over it. Steven got louder as he continued, and he could feel his legs shaking on his head. Despite his inexperience, he sure knew how to give Steven a good time, and he felt rather smug with himself, almost smiling while his mouth pleasured Steven.

“Ah...aaah...Wallace!” Steven’s hand was now placed on Wallace’s head, not quite forcing him to move his head around, but his grip was tight and surely messing with Wallace’s hair. which was already getting stained in Steven’s wetness. He didn’t care though - in fact he felt comfort that Steven made contact with him, and he was more determined than ever to bring him to his orgasm. “W-Wallace...aahh...I’m so...so close…”

Wallace could only respond with a satisfied moan. He moved his finger faster to the point where he could hear the slippery friction inside Steven - such a dirty and yet intimate sound - and then finally, he sucked on Steven’s sensitive spot as much as possible.

And then, Steven moaned, shaking violently and tightening his legs around Wallace’s head as he hit his own orgasm. Wallace felt a gush of fluid land on his lips, and then he pulled away from between Steven’s legs, his lips were dripping in clear fluid that clung him onto Steven’s intimate areas before the distance forced them to part.

“How was that? Did you enjoy?”

Wallace propped himself on top of Steven, but before he could do anything, Steven tightly wrapped his arms around Wallace for an embrace. Steven remained silent, save for the moans and breaths from resting from his orgasm. The way he hugged was so attached and wanting, as if Steven were saying, _“I don’t ever want to let go.”_

After what seemed like forever, Steven let go, and the two sighed as they caught their breaths again. They stared at each other again, before Wallace broke the silence.

“...I think we should probably have a talk about this. About...us.”

“Yeah.” Steven scratched his head, almost awkwardly, except Wallace found it too cute to call it that. “We should tidy up too…”

“I’ll help out.” Wallace handed over Steven’s clothes and then proceeded to dress himself. While they did so though, Steven continued to speak.

“That was the best sex I have ever had, Wallace.” Steven started sounding shamelessly confident again, even though he went completely shy during their session. “It was amazing. Thank you so much.”

“...thank you as well, Steven. It was also the best I’ve had...and the only.” Wallace laughed, while placing their now-empty dinner boxes back into Steven’s bag.

“I can’t believe you let me be your first. I mean...I feel so privileged you’d let me do such a thing.”

“It’s not a big deal. And anyway, I’m surprised we didn’t do this sooner…”

Steven had finished dressing up, and the two of them got up so that they were no longer on the blanket. Steven picked it up and folded it neatly so it would fit snug into the bag that Wallace was now holding open.

“I may not ever wash this again,” Steven said with a smirk on his face.

“That’s terrible.” Wallace laughed and closed the bag, handing it over to Steven. “Hm...why don’t we go over to my place to talk things through?”

“Yeah, good idea.” Steven gave Wallace a quick kiss on the lips, which Wallace returned with another kiss.

In a way, there was a huge comfort knowing that they finally broke the barrier between them, and Wallace was so happy he could share this special moment with Steven, but he was still nervous that they’d now have to face their feelings and talk it out - and whether it would really end with them being together or not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY THEY BANGED THANK RAYQUAZA. also this chapter makes me hungry for sushi I TOLD YOU THE TAG WAS IMPORTANT...


	14. And So It Is

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wallace and Steven finally discuss their relationship and future together before calling it a night.

They settled down in Wallace’s less fancy house - he felt a little ashamed it wasn’t as big as Steven’s office, but Steven seemed to like the humble change of environment. Wallace served drinks and snacks on the table where he and Steven sat down, ready to talk about how they’d deal with their friendship from here.

“So...Wallace. You wanted to talk?”

“Yeah.” They were sitting opposite of each other, though only separated by a bit of space and the glasses of drinks they had between them. Steven had his hands clasped together, head and shoulders leaning forwards. Even though they had just shared a most intimate moment, Wallace felt nervous all over again, like he was talking to someone he had to put up a good impression for. “Well...I guess I should begin?”

Steven nodded. Wallace tried to think of the words to say out, but it was surprisingly hard to think of how to translate his thoughts into speech. It took a while to come up with a coherent way as possible to express himself.

“How do I begin...um, well, I’m really sorry if this makes me look stupid for only discussing it like a million years later. If there’s anything I say that makes you angry or confused then please, don’t hesitate to let me know…”

“That’s fine. Go on and we’ll see.”

“Thanks.” Wallace took a sip of water then continued. “So...I’ve been afraid to ask, but how do you feel about the way we’ve been treating each other?”

“To be honest...I’ve actually been afraid to talk about it as well. I mean, we’ve been building our feelings like this for so long, and then...this happened. I know this isn’t how I’d treat regular friends.”

“Me neither!” Wallace wanted to clarify that though he may have had an open and friendly demeanor towards others, he had never treated anyone else the same way he did with Steven, though ironically they seemed to be relying on that assumption for so long not to be freaked out by one another. “Well...are you all right with it? You don’t feel like I’ve lead you on? Because I feel really responsible…”

Steven moved his arms into the typical position he normally placed him in when he was thinking hard. “Well, I hope you don’t feel I’ve lead you on too. And hey, I’m responsible for controlling my feelings as well. I should have said something sooner about it. I knew from the way we spoke and our behaviour that something was definitely going on, but I had no idea how I was supposed to feel. I didn’t expect it all to happen…”

Wallace shook his head. “I feel like we only acted that way because we genuinely got to know each other and just so happened to like each other a lot. I mean, we give each other good company, we’re such good friends...it just happened?”

“Exactly.” Steven turned his head to look at Wallace, though it was with uncertainty. “The question is, what do we do? I don’t want to ignore it any longer...but I’m going to be honest. I’m so scared of fucking things up between us. Because...Wallace, I care for you no matter what happens.” He looked down at the table, as if he were beginning to struggle coming up with words too. “The last thing I want to do is mess up or hurt you or...I don’t know, there’s so much that could go wrong which I don’t want to ever happen to you.”

“Y-you feel that way too?” Wallace placed his hand on his chest, touched by Steven’s latest confession. “I’ve been afraid for the same reasons...but I also feel horrible I’ve kept you in the unknown for so long and...well, now there’s no holding back. Steven, I’m going to tell you the truth.” He took a deep breath, then exhaled. “I really enjoy your company. Everyday when I get back home...or wake up, if it’s a weekend, I always look forward to talking to you about whatever is out there. It’s so much fun! I feel like it’s almost become a daily ritual to talk to you and always say good night. I went crazy when I couldn’t speak to you for days, especially when you had to leave the place for your emergency meeting.”

“Me too...I’m sorry I let that happen, but I thought I was going to go crazy too.” Steven smiled, and a hand reached out for Wallace’s. He responded by offering his own hand and they gripped into each other tightly.

“Steven...as you know, I’m usually quite cynical to this kind of stuff. I’ve hardly ever displayed an interest in people like this. First I was reluctant to press on but...you were so charming and so nice, I couldn’t help but respond this way.”

“Heh. I really hope you don’t think I’ve behaved inappropriately or like a creep…”

“Of course not.” Wallace laughed quietly, but then he decided he needed to bring up another point. “But...Steven, I said I would be honest. So I’m going to say this. Part of me found our interactions so thrilling because there was something...exciting about being in the line between friends and something else. But I’m not saying I just wanted a fling...just, I kind of liked having plain good fun, without the worries of life…”

“I kind of see what you mean.” By now, Steven was petting and stroking Wallace’s hand comfortingly.

“Like I said, I’m not saying that’s all I want, but I’m also scared that if we take it further then I’ll do something to ruin our friendship, which I really don’t want to do. And well...how am I going to tell my family this? I don’t want to lose you no matter what. Whatever happens, you’ll always be my friend and I never want to betray your trust. I really care about you too, Steven.”

“We really do have mutual feelings for one another.” Steven reached out with his other hand to stroke his fingers on Wallace’s cheek. Wallace smiled and hummed in response to that, while Steven continued. “Please, don’t worry about my previous relationships, because they were completely different situations with different people, and I too was partly responsible for why they didn’t work out. I’ve changed so much ever since then, I’ve got a healthier attitude and I feel like I’m ready to offer all that I can. We can take time telling your family about this. But don’t worry about me - I know you better than most people and I’ve never felt this much trust and happiness with another person. If we keep worrying, we’d only be holding our feelings back. And everything at Devon’s going to be fine, so I’m really sorry I put you through all that worry and I promise whatever problems I face, I won’t load them onto you to deal with. So…” Steven took a deep sigh and played with the strands of hair that were loose around Wallace. “Why don’t we give it a try? I’m excited to see where it’ll take us...what other things we can do.”

Wallace gasped and felt himself blushing. So, Steven really did want to commit. That fact alone bought Wallace to such a satisfied feeling, moreso than when they had their physical moment with each other a few minutes ago. Perhaps it was obvious Steven did have feelings for him, but Wallace feared perhaps Steven only wanted a brief moment of fun, or would be too angry with Wallace for leading him on.

“Steven...are you sure?!”

“I’ve never been more certain in my life. All I need is your word as well. But, don’t feel pressured...it’s up to you, and I won’t be offended if you say no, but...I really do want to be with you.”

“Then…” Wallace nodded. “There’s nothing more I want right now than to be with you, Steven. Just one thing...you don’t mind if we keep this a secret for now, do you? Um, it’s just, I am not sure if I’m ready for the exposure and maybe I should get Juan to get to know you a bit better first…”

“Well...all right, though I’d like to eventually be out in the open. I wonder how many have already figured it out by now? I think my dad kind of knows already.”

Wallace let out a brief laugh. “Then let’s do it.”

Steven let out a huge sigh of relief and then bowed his head down on the table. Wallace stood up from his chair, still holding onto Steven by the hand. Steven also got up and let out what seemed to be a mix of laughter and a possible cry of genuine happiness. They instantly hugged each other, which then inevitably transitioned into another kiss. At this stage, Wallace was also overwhelmed with feelings - happiness being the biggest one, along with excitement, passion and arousal, but also nervousness, and a tiny bit of uncertainty - still, he could deal with all that later. Right now, it was nothing but a magical moment with Steven.

“Mhmm...so, Steven...back when you did all those ‘relaxation’ sessions, were you...thinking of me?”

“M-maybe…” Steven started sounding shy again. “I was so turned on when you listened to me play with myself with that vibrator.”

Wallace let out a moan. “That was so hot...did you make me listen to you on purpose? You naughty person.” He planted another kiss onto Steven.

“And how about that dream you had...that other person was me, wasn’t it?”, Steven whispered.

“Y-yes...and it was the hottest dream I ever had.” They giggled, and Wallace only noticed now how Steven was swaying them both, almost into a little slow dance as they held each other. Wallace played along, until he saw the clock and realized what time it was. “Steven...it’s pretty late, so how about we hit the bed and continue this there?”

“The bed huh? What would you like to continue there?”

Wallace laughed. “Whatever you’re comfortable with, I guess. Though maybe we should discuss the things we’re all right with and if there’s anything we shouldn’t do with one another…”

“Maybe we can repeat what we did this evening. How about that?”

“Ughh...that was amazing.” Wallace started walking with Steven towards his bedroom. “And while we do that, let’s discuss what other things we’d like to try on each other? There’s so much else more I want to do with you…”

“Mmm...like what?”

“Maybe you can let me use that vibrator on you...and, maybe if you don’t mind, I can use it on myself too…”

“You’re turning me on so much.” Steven followed Wallace on until they both settled on the bedside. Wallace put on the lamp to be half-lit - he would have ideally liked to see Steven in full view, but it was quite late, and he liked the nocturnal setting that surrounded them.

“Let’s do something about that then…” Wallace pulled him over to another kiss, ready to spend the night with whom he could now call his boyfriend - but he was, above all else, still his best friend. "Steven...whatever happens, I’m glad we met.”

“Me too, Wallace. You’ve already given me so much happiness. I can’t wait for more.”

Wherever this relationship took them, he hoped it would be an eventful experience and fill him with happy memories in the future. For now, he could enjoy the kisses and touches from Steven, knowing that he at least ended up with someone he could truly call a friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and then they got married had 100.5 babies and a 40 bedroom house and a tax break thanks to their marriage THE END.


End file.
